


Happily ever after, but not the end - Series 1: “Fam-ILY”

by LostInTheCrowd546



Series: Happily ever after, but not the end [1]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Logan is a mind-reader kinda thing, M/M, Patton can duplicate himself, Roman can generate electricity, Virgil can stop and start time, roommate au, superhero au, they all have powers, thomas is there
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-26
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:47:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 21,433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26662432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LostInTheCrowd546/pseuds/LostInTheCrowd546
Summary: A Sanders Sides story based on the amazing work of ResidentAnchor in A Lesson In Practicality.Logan Smith, Patton Brown, Roman Flynn and Virgil Ingram all have something in common: they all have powers. Living together in the city, the four must learn who they are and how to cooperate with each other as friendship morphs into something more, and a mysterious dark power starts to rise.
Relationships: Analogical - Relationship, Royality - Relationship
Series: Happily ever after, but not the end [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1972096
Comments: 5
Kudos: 41





	1. Prologue

‘Patton, honey, are you sure this is a good idea?’ Patton Brown sighed quietly as his mom appeared in his bedroom doorway, casting a shadow across the darkened room.  
‘Mom, I need to move out at some point, besides, the apartment is right by the uni campus.’ He finished packing another box filled with treasures and trinkets from his childhood and reached for the tape to seal the box when his mom caught his hand.  
‘You know that’s not what I’m talking about, Pat.’ Patton didn’t look up at her as she paused, biting her bottom lip. ‘What if they find out?’  
‘If they find out, I’ll tell them the truth.’ Patton pulled his hand away and grabbed the tape. ‘Besides, I haven’t done it in years and I don’t plan on doing it in the future.’  
That wasn’t strictly true, but Patton knew better than to tell his mom that he’d been using it regularly, and did have plans to do so in the future. He was surprised his mom had even agreed to him moving out at all, but now that Patton was twenty five and starting university, he needed his space.  
Especially away from his mother.  
‘You know I worry, darling. I just want you to be safe.’  
Patton finally did look up at his mother; despite all this time, he couldn’t help but be surprised at how similar they looked: the same wavy dirty blond hair, the same dark brown eyes, the same small frame. The only things to differentiate the two was that Patton had freckles strewn across his cheeks and had to wear glasses to see.  
Personality wise, they were the same too: they were kind, giving, trusting people, the type to help out a neighbour they barely knew, simply because it was the right thing to do.  
‘I know you worry about me, Mom..’ Patton stood and opened his arms with a smile, embracing his mother tightly. ‘But I’m not a little kid anymore...’ He pulled away from the hug, but kept his hands on his mother’s shoulders, gently rubbing them. ‘I wanna go to university, earn a living, be independent. And when I get all of that sorted, I’m gonna help pay off some of your bills and help you renovate this place, okay?’  
‘You’re a sweet boy..’ His mother sniffed, and Patton kissed her forehead as he hugged her again, feeling some tears come to his own eyes. Sure, his mother could be a little strong, but she was still his mother, and he loved her.  
‘I have to finish up packing.’  
‘Of course.’ Patton watched his mother walk out of his room and down the stairs before turning back to his room, looking it up and down lovingly. He’d made so many memories in this room. By god, was he gonna miss it, but he’d found a perfect apartment, stationed near the university campus and his workspace, the local library, so it was perfect.  
And even better: it came with three roommates. 

Logan Smith loosened his blue tie with a huff as he came out of his newly-claimed bedroom, having just unpacked the last of his belongings. Glancing up at the clock, he quickly made his way into the bathroom to freshen up before his first roommate showed up.  
Logan had just spent the last hour constructing and moving his bookcase and bed so, chances are, he wasn’t looking too great; his suspicions being confirmed when he looked in the mirror: his hair was a mess, his pale face was flushed red from the effort, and his arms and legs ached. Taking off his glasses, Logan splashed some cold water onto his face and rubbing it in, before looking up and meeting his reflection’s pale blue eyes, seeing the usual stoic look he wore so well, but knowing beneath that, there was a dirty secret.  
‘Logan, you’re being irrational.’ He muttered, drying his face and replacing his glasses on the bridge of his nose as he started to gel his black hair back into its usual quiff. ‘They have no reason to suspect you did what you did, therefore it is irrational for you to be this nervous.’  
Taking one last look in the mirror to check his appearance, Logan walked out of the bathroom as the door opened and a man roughly the same age as him stumbled in, attempting to carry three boxes, a suitcase and a backpack at the same time.  
This man was fairly short and had glasses much like his own, behind them were freckles and a pair of dark brown eyes, almost the colour of melted chocolate. He wore his dusty blond hair fairly long, down to the nape of his neck, but it’s waviness made it appear shorter.  
‘Could I have a little help here?’ He asked sheepishly, thanking him when Logan took two of the boxes out of his arms and set them on the dining table as the other took in the apartment.  
‘Thanks for that. That certainly wasn’t a very card-boring way to introduce myself.’ Logan blinked confusedly as the man laughed quietly at his joke, finally getting it after a few seconds. The shorter man held out his hand, and Logan made a quick mental note to ask him what the bracelets he wore on his wrist meant at a later date. ‘I’m Patton Brown.’  
‘Logan Smith.’ Logan took Patton’s hand and shook it as the other smiled.  
‘Which bedroom’s mine?’  
‘I have claimed the bedroom on the left, so any of the other three are yours.’  
‘Thank you, Logan!’ Patton chirped, heading into the room closest to the door as Logan made his way into the kitchen and started to organise the cutlery, glancing up as Patton went from room to room, finally coming out of the one in the middle and declaring at as his own.  
‘Do you require any assistance unpacking?’ Logan eyed the boxes on the table and floor. All but one of the four rooms had come with beds, mattresses and bookshelves, and Logan had selected the room that hadn’t; but he wasn’t too fussed about that: constructing them had been a fun challenge.  
‘I think I can manage.’  
‘I’ll leave you to it.’

A few hours after Patton had finished unpacking, the sound of the front door being unlocked indicated to Logan that his next roommate had arrived. Patton was out getting essentials, so it was just him and his new roommate until he returned.  
‘Fear no more, fine gentlemen, for I, the gallivant Roman Flynn, has arrived!’ Came from the mouth of the man at the front door as he slammed it open, making Logan nearly jump out of his seat.  
The man in question was fairly tall and fairly muscular, with dark ginger hair that framed a handsome face. His eyes were bright green and held a shine in them that indicated a certain level of cockiness and self-absorption.  
‘Hello to you too.’ Logan cleared his throat and walked up to the other, holding out his hand. ‘My name is Logan Smith.’  
‘Roman Flynn.’  
As they were shaking hands, Patton came up behind Roman, holding a plastic bag filled with shopping in each hand.  
‘Oh, you must be our next roommate!’ He said, passing the bag in his left hand to his right and shaking Roman’s outstretched hand. ‘Roman, isn’t it?’  
‘Yep. And you are..?’  
‘Patton Brown.’  
‘A pleasure to meet you.’ Roman smiled down at him, then picked up his box and suitcase, pointing to the doors on the right. ‘Which one..?’  
‘The one by the door, or the one in the corner.’ Patton said, placing one of the bags on the kitchen counter whilst he started unloading the other one. ‘Oh, I almost forgot, what days do you two work? I bought a chart to keep track of it.’  
‘I work Thursdays and Fridays.’ Roman called, already shifting his belongings into the room furthest from the door.  
‘I work Tuesdays and Wednesdays, but I work from home Thursdays and Fridays.’  
‘Two jobs?’  
‘Slightly more money.’ Logan said, and he couldn’t help but smile a little as Patton took out a chart from underneath an empty box and started writing down the dates he’d been given, his tongue poking out slightly.  
‘If you don’t mind me asking, where do you work?’  
‘At the library. How about you?’  
‘A bookshop not far from here.’  
‘And where might you work, Roman?’ Patton asked, looking up from the chart as their roommate came out to collect his suitcase.  
‘Call me Princey, and you don’t wanna know, trust me.’  
‘We do though!’  
‘You don’t.’

The sun was beginning to set on the city as Virgil Ingram got off the bus, headphones blaring in his ears as he slung his backpack higher up his shoulder and started down the street that would be his home for the next few years.  
He wasn’t a big people person, his crippling anxiety, depression and paranoia made sure of that, so the thought of living with three strangers scared him to death. But he’d talked to one of his new roommates on the phone before, and he had seemed nice enough, so maybe it wouldn’t be a complete disaster after all.  
A ringtone interrupted his music and he pulled his phone out of his pocket, smiling and shaking his head as a picture of him and his dad came up on his phone screen. He answered it and slipped his phone back into his pocket, speaking low enough for it not to appear weird, but loud enough so his father could hear him.  
‘Hey, dad.’  
Virgil immediately felt himself relax at his dad’s voice. ‘Hey, Virge. You alright? You there yet?’  
‘Not quite. Still got a few minutes to walk, but I should be there soon.’  
‘Good. Make sure you text me when you’re all unpacked.’  
‘I will.’  
‘So you don’t know the other two?’  
‘I don’t really know any of them, to be honest, dad. I’ve spoken to that Patton guy once before, and he seems nice.’  
‘Well, just be careful, Vee.’  
‘Me? Careful?’ Virgil laughed a little. ‘Who do you think you’re talking too?’  
On the other end, Virgil could hear his dad cracking up, and after a few seconds of their combined laughter, his dad spoke.  
‘I love you, son.’  
‘Love you too, dad. I’ll text you when I’m unpacked.’  
‘Bye, kiddo.’  
‘Bye.’  
The call ended with a click and his music restarted, Virgil glanced at the street name and turned a corner, his new home coming into view at the end of the street. 

A violet and orange glow appeared on the sky above the city, and stars flecked above the apartment block as the three new roommates prepared to receive their pizza and garlic knots. The other three turned as the door opened and their fourth and final roommate slipped into the apartment.  
He was short, about the same height as Patton, with short black hair with a purple fringe. He had dark, almost black eyes and pale skin.  
Patton stood up from the couch and made his way over to their final roommate, a bright and comforting smile on his face.  
‘Hey, you must be Virgil Ingram!’  
‘Y-Yeah..’ He said quietly. ‘You’re Patton, right..?’  
‘That’s me!’ Virgil smiled weakly at Patton as he turned and gestured to the two on the couch. ‘This is Logan Smith,’ The slightly taller, raven-haired man nodded politely. ‘And Roman Flynn.’ The ginger smiled and gave a two-fingered salute to their new roommate.  
‘That room’s yours, kiddo.’ Patton pointed over Virgil’s shoulder to the door closest to the front door. ‘Take as long as you need.’  
‘T-Thanks, Patton...’ Virgil mumbled, giving one last small smile and going into his room.  
When he came out, the pizza had arrived and the others were sitting at the dining table; Virgil sat down and they all started munching on pizza and garlic knots, getting to know their new roommates.


	2. Discoveries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Revelations are made about the four, and the others find out about Patton’s situation with his mom.

‘You can generate electricity?!’ Virgil folded his arms and glared at the ginger across from him as the other two roommates looked on.  
‘You can stop time?!’ Roman snapped back.  
Virgil let out a low growl and gestured to the two others in the room. ‘What about Patton and Logan?!’  
‘Fair enough,’ Roman turned to face them. ‘Can you two do anything freaky?’  
Patton smiled sheepishly and nervously fiddled with the bracelets on his right wrist. ‘Define “freaky”, because if making copies of yourself falls into that category, then yes, I can.’  
‘Oh my god...’ Virgil pinched the bridge of his nose and groaned quietly.  
Roman rounded on Logan, poking his chest once. ‘What about you, Nerdy Wolverine?’  
‘I have what is known as telekinetic manipulation and telepathy.’ Logan responded, smacking Roman’s hand away.  
Roman turned back to Patton and Virgil, gesturing to the oldest roommate. ‘Okay, did any of you understand that?’  
‘Don’t look at me, kiddo.’  
‘Basically he can move things without touching them and read minds.’  
‘Wha- How’d you know that, Storm Train?’  
Virgil flushed. ‘I-I read comic books, okay?’  
Roman shook his head at the emo, then raised his arms. ‘We’re like superhero’s!’  
‘Roman-‘  
‘Shut up, calculator watch, we are!’

Patton came out of his bedroom, still in his pyjamas and dressing gown as he made some coffee, wiping sleep out of his eyes as he yawned. It had been two months since they’d all moved in together and in that time, they’d all gotten closer, mainly due to the revelation of their powers. Even Virgil had started talking to them and hanging out with them out of choice, so things were beginning to look up.  
‘Morning, Pat.’ Roman came out of the bathroom, his hair damp from the shower and a script in hand.  
‘Hey, Ro. You want a coffee?’  
‘Please.’ He sat down at his usual place on the dining table and flipped open the script, his mouth moving a little as he said the lines under his breath.  
‘Big show coming up?’ Patton asked as he set Roman’s coffee down in front of him and sat down next to his friend.  
‘Yeah, Heathers. I’m hoping to play JD.’  
‘Nice.’  
Logan opened his door and stepped out, fully dressed and greeted the two at the table, pouring himself a coffee and sitting down on the couch.  
‘You not for work today, Pat?’ Roman asked.  
‘Nope, I got nothi-‘ Before he could finish his sentence, Patton’s phone started ringing from the kitchen counter. Walking over, he picked it up, his stomach dropping when he saw who was calling him.  
‘Sorry, guys, I gotta take this.’ Patton headed into his room, shutting his door and answering the phone, forcing a happy tone into his voice.  
‘Hey, Mom.’  
‘Heya, sweetie. How’s everything going?’  
‘Good thanks, we’re all settled and they’re all really nice.’  
‘That’s great, sweetheart! How do you say we meet up for lunch today? You don’t have work, right?’  
‘Yeah, but-‘  
‘It’s settled! Meet me at the diner near our house at one. See you then!’  
The call ended with a click and Patton stood there staring at it for a minute, completely bewildered.  
Patton stumbled out of his room, rubbing his face and groaning quietly; Roman sprang up, rushing over to him and putting his hands on Patton’s shoulders. The other two, Virgil now being awake, also stood, but let Roman talk to him.  
‘What’s wrong?’  
‘It’s nothing, really.’  
‘Patton.’ Roman put his hand on the side of Patton’s face and gently coaxed his eyes to meet his own. ‘Please, what’s wrong?’  
‘It’s just my mother, she wants to have lunch with me..’  
‘Is she..’ Logan shifted uncomfortably as he considered his words carefully. ‘Patton, I don’t wish to scare you with this term, but if your mother was ever abusive..’  
‘Oh, no, she’s not like that!’ Patton assured him, walking over to Logan as Roman let him go. ‘I promise, she loves me, she can just come off a little...strong, that’s all.’  
He sighed and fiddled with his bracelets. ‘She doesn’t like me using my powers.’  
‘Don’t go.’ Virgil suggested.  
‘I can’t ditch her, she’d show up at the apartment. I’ll just go, it’s only lunch, right?’ 

Roman hummed quietly to himself as he finished doing that morning’s dishes. Everyone was home except Patton, who was still out with his mother; and Roman was beginning to love the quiet that fell when Logan and Virgil were both in their rooms. He was usually a very loud, extroverted person, so quiet wasn’t something he was used to, but he was growing to love it.  
‘Who’s turn is it to cook tonight, Princey?’ Virgil asked, leaning against the doorframe and watching as his roommate quickly checked the calendar.  
‘Logan’s.’  
‘Cool. When d’you think Pat will be back?’  
‘I don’t know..’ He sighed and slipped off the yellow gloves, turning around to face his friend, leaning against the counter. ‘I don’t think he should’ve gone, personally.’  
‘Me either, but it’s his choice.’ Virgil went and sat on the couch, Roman following after him.  
After a few moments, the door opened and Patton slipped in, closing it behind him. Letting his knees crumple beneath him, Patton slid down the door and pulled his knees up to his chest, wrapping his arms around his knees and burying his face in his knees.  
Virgil and Roman shared a look as soft sobs came from their friend curled up by the door and after a moment, Roman stood, turning up the song of the radio “Dear Future Husband”, Taylor Swift as he passed the kitchen and stopped in front of Patton. He looked up, pushing his glasses up his face and wiping away tears as Roman extended a hand out to him, which he took, letting Roman pull him up.  
‘Ro..’ Patton mumbled as Roman held his hands and started to sway.  
‘Shh, I got you..’  
The song kicked off and Roman spun him around, making Patton laugh and start to dance, his despair now long forgotten. Virgil chuckled at them and squeaked when Roman grabbed his hand and pulled him up too, rolling his eyes and catching Patton’s hand, spinning him.  
Logan stood in the doorway of his room, arms folded across his chest, his head tilted slightly and a smile on his face as he watched his roommates messing around. Virgil caught sight of him and beckoned him as Roman stood on the couch and started to sing at the top of his lungs, which Patton continued to dance angelically; Logan held up his hands, shaking his head at the youngest roommate as Virgil walked up to him, snatching his wrist.  
‘If I’m being forced into this, you are too.’  
‘This is not necessary..’ Logan muttered, but he allowed himself to be dragged into the madness anyway. 

A few hours later, the four of them were bundled up together on and around the couch, under layers and layers of fluffy blankets and pillows. After a great deal of complaining from Logan, they had all put on onesies: Patton with a grey cat onesie, Roman with a Beast onesie, Virgil with a skeleton, and Logan, much to the hilarity of everybody else, with a white unicorn.  
Virgil was curled in on himself on the floor asleep, his head leaning against Logan’s legs; Roman was on one end of the couch with Patton’s head in his lap, a blanket draped across both of them; Patton’s feet didn’t quite reach Logan, who was sat at the other end of the couch, a book in one hand and a steaming mug of tea in the other.  
‘You really care about all of us, don’t you?’ Logan looked up from his book to see Roman resting his head on his knuckle, staring at him with a smile.  
‘I do. Don’t tell the other two though.’ Roman nodded, gently brushing through Patton’s hair. Logan watched him with a smile: the way Roman looked at Patton, how gentle he was being with him, letting him sleep on his lap.  
‘You like him.’ Logan muttered with a smirk, taking a sip of his drink as Roman stared at him.  
‘What?’  
‘You like him.’  
‘I do not!’  
‘Uh huh, sure.’  
‘I do not, Logan!’  
‘Whatever you say...’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, check out ResidentAnchor.  
> I’ll try and upload chapters as much as I can, but school gets in the way of it most of the time.


	3. I’m happy that he’s happy...right?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roman’s feelings for Patton start to become apparent.  
> Warning: Roman has a potty mouth.

‘You’re going down emo!’   
‘Not a chance.’   
Logan poked his head around his door to see what was going on and why the two slightly younger roommates were shouting at each other and was met with a sight: when he had entered the apartment earlier, it had been relatively clean and tidy, but now there were cushions strewn about, cans of Pepsi left lying around and chip crumbs everywhere.   
The two roommates in question were leaning on the couch, watching the TV screen with an intensity Logan had never seen from either before, as their make-believe video game characters raced each other, Virgil seeming to be winning.   
‘Patton‘s going to kill you two when he sees this mess.’ Logan tutted, stooping to pick up an empty chip packet.   
‘Not when I tell him I beat the reigning champion on Mario Cart.’ Virgil grinned as his character rounded a corner.   
‘You haven’t won yet, Storm-Train!’   
‘I have now!’ Virgil cheered as he crossed the finish line, throwing the controller onto the couch and holding out his hand to the defeated prince. ‘You owe me.’  
Roman sighed and reached into his pocket, pulling out his wallet. ‘How much was it in the end?’  
‘Twenty.’  
Roman handed over the money and ignored the smug smirk the youngest roommate gave him, turning to Logan who was stood, shaking his head fondly at the two. ‘You want us to help clean up?’  
‘It is your mess.’  
‘Fine.’   
Roman and Virgil started to clean up their mess as the front door opened and Patton stepped in, dragging another man in after him. He was tall with a fairly stocky build and curly light brown hair that fell to one side of his face. His eyes were a deep blue, and he had freckles all over his face. Logan quickly shot a glance at Roman, who’s face betrayed no emotion as Patton started talking.   
‘Mark, these are my roommates, Logan, Virgil and Roman.’ He pointed to each in turn. ‘Guys, this is Mark. He works at the local animal hospital.’   
‘Lovely to meet you all, but I’m afraid I have to go.’ He waved a goodbye at each of them, gave Patton a quick kiss on the forehead and went out the door, closing it behind him.   
‘He’s cute, where’d you pick him up?’ Virgil said, raising an eyebrow.   
‘He came in the library today.’ Patton chirped, walking into the kitchen. ‘We started talking, and I really like him, he’s so funny and sweet. Plus, he works with animals.’  
‘You’re seeing him again, I suppose?’ Roman asked, fighting to keep his tone level as Logan came up behind him and placed a gentle hand on his back.   
‘Friday.’ Patton stopped rummaging in the cupboard. ‘I’m gonna need to go shopping, sorry guys.’  
‘I’ll come with you.’ Virgil grabbed his hoodie off the back of the couch and followed Patton out the door, mouthing “Talk to him” to Logan as he left.   
‘Roman, are you okay with this?’ Logan sat down on the couch, watching as his roommate started to pace.   
‘If it makes him happy, yes.’   
‘That’s not the whole truth and we both know it.’  
‘Alright, so I wanted him to be happy with me!’ Roman snapped. ‘So I wanted him to be with me, big fat fucking deal! If he’s happy with Mark, I can be happy too.’   
‘Roman...’   
‘At least this will make it easier to get over him..’ He sat down on the couch and pinched the bridge of his nose.   
‘You would think that, wouldn’t you?’ Roman looked up and saw something he’d never seen before: Logan nearly had tears in his eyes. ‘You would think that if you can’t have someone, it would make it easier to forget about them...but that isn’t how it works, Roman, take it from me..’   
‘I’m not sure I want to get over him...’  
‘I’m not sure I ever got over her..’ Logan said sadly, looking down at his hands. ‘And I don’t think I ever will.’  
‘Who’re you talking about?’  
‘Somebody I used to know, but that’s not important.’ He shook his head and faced his friend, putting a hand on his arm. ‘Are you sure you can do this?’  
‘What other choice do I have?’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, reader! Hope you’re coping well in lockdown, wherever you are. Let me know what you thought of this in the comments and if you have any tips for me to improve my writing, please let me know. That’s all, my lovelies! Have a great day/night!


	4. Minding your own business isn’t always the best thing to do

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The others find out how they ended up living together.  
> Warning: Angst, panic attack and potty language.

Virgil stood on the roof, facing the field below him, the soft wind tousling his hair as tears fell down his face. He’d never been so hurt before. He’d trusted Logan, and all this time, he’d been lying to them. That night’s proceedings replayed in his head as he heard footsteps come from behind the roof door. 

It had just been a normal Saturday night: all four of them were home and were winding down for the night after Patton’s delicious cooked dinner and a feisty game of Uno. Virgil was sat on the back of the couch, deep in thought, when something clicked in his head, his heart beginning to pound at the realisation. He turned to look at his friend, who was cleaning up in the kitchen: could he have really done this?  
‘Logan?’  
‘Yes, Virgil?’  
‘Don’t you think it’s a little weird that we all ended up here?’ Virgil could’ve sworn he saw Logan flinch a little at his question.  
‘I’m afraid I don’t know what you mean.’ Logan put down the dishcloth and stared down his roommate. ‘There was an advertisement for an apartment for four, we all found it and answered it.’  
‘Logan, don’t act dumb: it’s a little strange that us, seeming to be the only people with powers in this city, wound up in the same apartment, doncha think?’  
‘Virgil..’ Patton said warningly, looking between the emo and the teacher apprehensively. He knew the look on Virgil’s face, this couldn’t end well.  
‘You’re not the slightest bit curious about this, Patton?’ Virgil turned to him.  
‘Well, I...’  
‘Robert Downer Jr has a point, Logan.’ Roman said slowly, looking up from a sketch he was doing as Virgil slid off the couch, never taking his eyes off of their oldest roommate. ‘It is a little strange.’  
‘Exactly, I think we’d all like to know exactly how it happened.’ Virgil growled, advancing on Logan. ‘Here’s my guess: you found us, got into our heads and fucked with our minds to make us move in here so you could keep an eye on us. Am I right?’  
Logan said nothing, his eyes glowing faintly as Virgil let out a hiss. ‘I knew it!’  
Patton and Roman shared a glance as the lights in the apartment started to flicker and cutlery started to levitate as Logan’s eyes flashed brighter.  
‘Virge, you’re scaring him...’ Patton whispered, gently touching Virgil’s arm.  
‘Scaring him?’ Virgil turned, shrugging off Patton’s touch. ‘Patton, he messed with our heads to keep us all in one place! How can you be okay with this? As for you,’ He rounded on Logan again, who flinched, not looking up from the floor as Virgil came up to him and spat his next words. ‘Don’t ever come near me again..’  
The youngest roommate stormed out, slamming the door behind him as the lights started to flicker more violently. After a nod from Roman, Patton slowly approached their roommate, who was backed up against the wall, his eyes glowing madly as his whole body shook.  
‘Lo, I’m gonna need you to take a few deep breaths for me, okay?’ He glanced nervously at the floating cutlery but did his best to relax as Logan tried to take in a breath, but started to choke when he found his throat sealing.  
‘It’s alright...that’s alright, kiddo...’ Patton gently rubbed his arm, speaking as quietly as he could. ‘Could you try that again?’  
Logan nodded shakily and closed his eyes, filling his lungs with air and slowly releasing it; this continued for a few minutes, until Logan regained control of his powers and put the cutlery down.  
‘Apologies, I don’t know...what happened there...’  
‘You had a panic attack because Virgil yelled at you.’ Roman walked over, putting a hand on Logan’s shoulder. ‘Is what he said true?’  
After a moment, Logan nodded. ‘Only partially, however. I don’t want to explain this more than once, so we have to find him.’  
‘Where’ll he be?’ Roman asked.  
‘The roof.’ Logan said as he grabbed his coat and opened the door, hoping to god he hadn’t screwed this friendship up. 

‘Virgil!’ Virgil didn’t react as Logan called his name. He didn’t turn, he didn’t speak, he wasn’t doing to let Logan win. Not in a million years. Soft footsteps came up behind him as Logan approached, figuring out his next words carefully and knowing he had one chance to make this situation fractionally better.  
‘For the first twenty-five years of my life,’ He began with a sigh. ‘I thought I was alone. I thought nobody else had these powers, and that I’d have to deal with it on my own, much like you all did. But one day, that all changed.  
I had a habit of people-watching, I’d go into small cafes or restaurants and watch as people came in and out. If I found someone who looked interesting, I’d take a quick guess as to what they’d done that morning, then a quick scan of their brain would tell me if I was right or wrong.’  
At the look on Virgil’s face and the snort from Roman, Logan chuckled quietly, staring at the field as he continued his story. ‘It was a stupid, invasive game and I realise that now. I didn’t have anything better to do most days, reading was a great comfort, but it could only last me so long before I lost focus.  
Anyway, one day I was sat in a small cafe, not far from here, actually. I was going about my regular routine, but the day was going pretty slowly and there weren’t many interesting people around. I was preparing to leave when a new customer walked in, so I took a quick guess, scanned his mind, and nearly fell off of my chair when I found this man had stopped time that morning to catch a bus to that cafe.’  
Roman and Patton gasped a little, and for the first time since they’d gotten to the roof, Virgil turned to face him, his dark eyes wide as Logan nodded, a smile on his face. ‘I’d found you. I knew at that second there was more people like me, so I spent the next six months scanning the entirety of the city, looking for anybody else. I found Patton next, then Roman.’  
Logan sighed and readjusted his glasses. ‘I am not proud of what I did, but just know that I didn’t force you to do anything, I merely put the idea of moving into the apartment into your heads. It was down to you to accept it or deny it. I would never force you to do anything, but I don’t expect you to believe me.’  
They sat in silence for a moment, neither willing to speak up, but eventually, Virgil did, his voice quiet. ‘I shouldn’t have yelled...sorry, Lo..’  
‘You had every right to be angry with me, you still do.’  
‘I shouldn’t yelled because...well, I felt your panic when I pieced it together...’ He shrugged. ‘I figure an insane psycho who just wants to experiment on us wouldn’t feel the panic you felt back there...’  
Logan’s eyes flicked over to Patton, and after a nod from him, he put a hand on Virgil’s shoulder and spoke quietly. ‘I never meant for this to hurt you, that was never my intent, Virgil...’  
Virgil stared at him for a moment, then slowly leaned over and wrapped his arms around the oldest roommate, who froze for a second, before relaxing and pulling Virgil closer to him. ‘You haven’t got anything to apologise for, you big nerd...’  
‘Thank you, Virgil...’  
‘Anytime, Specs...’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Hope you’re doing okay in lockdown and have a great day/night.


	5. To love and to loose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone from Virgil’s past appears, making Logan insecure.

‘Did we all really have to come shopping?’ Virgil complained as the four of them got off the bus and started walking to their local grocery store, Patton bounding ahead of the other three like an excited puppy out on a walk.   
It had been a week since Logan’s secret had been brought out into the open, and things had settled down between the four, Roman did take a little long than the other two to forgive their roommate, but in the end he loved his friend, so he did.   
‘Because we’re a family and families do stuff like this together!’ Patton responded, turning to face the three slacking roommates as Virgil huffed again.   
‘For the last time, Patton, we are not related.’ Logan sighed, shaking his head.   
‘We’re a family, you love it.’  
‘I do not.’  
‘You do.’  
Logan gave in as they entered the store, Roman pulling out the list they had with an overly-dramatic flourish and handing it to Virgil with a bow.   
‘You’re so dramatic, Princey.’ Virgil tutted, snatching the list from out of Roman’s and picking up a basket.   
‘So many paper cuts..’ Roman stage-whispered, clutching his hand as Logan shook his head at him and Patton laughed at his antics, both following Virgil into the pasta isle.   
‘Wait up!’ Roman ran after them.   
‘Not if you’re going to be that dramatic the whole time.’   
‘Have you met me, Logan?’  
‘He has a point Sir-Sing-A-Lot.’ Virgil smirked. ‘You’re too dramatic for your own good.’  
‘And you wear too much black.’   
‘I do not!’   
‘You so do.’   
‘Whatever.’ Virgil huffed and moved into the next isle, glancing down at the list before he stood on his tiptoes, trying to reach the tin of soup on the top shelf, and failing, much to the amusement to Logan and Roman.   
‘Do you want some help, Virgil?’ Logan asked, fighting to keep a smile off of his face as his roommate turned, pure evil on his face.   
‘I’m gonna throttle you..’ He growled, turning back to the shelf, but almost walking into another man, whom none of the others had seen appear. He had straight blond hair and greeny-blue eyes, a tall and well-built frame.   
‘I believe this is what you were reaching for?’ He asked with a smirk as Virgil’s face lit up.   
‘Dan! Oh my god, it’s so good to see you!’ Virgil gave him a quick hug as the other three shared a look. ‘Oh, right, guys, this is Dan, we were friends in high school. Dan, these are my roommates: Logan, Roman and Patton.’   
‘Actually..’ Dan looked down at Virgil with a grin. ‘We were more than friends.’  
‘You two..?’ Patton looked between them, an eyebrow raised.   
‘For a while, yeah.’ Virgil muttered, turning red as Dan laughed. ‘But it turns out this one is straight.’ He turned back to him. ‘How’ve you been anyway?’   
‘Well, I got married, I have two beautiful children and Belle is expecting again.’  
‘No way, that’s so good! Oh,’ He suddenly remembered his roommates. ‘Sorry, I-‘   
‘It’s alright, Virge.’ Logan said, putting a hand on his arm. ‘You two can catch up, we’ll continue with the shop.’  
‘You sure?’   
‘Of course.’ Logan smiled a smile that Virgil couldn’t resist as he squeezed Logan’s hand and turned back to Dan as the others walked away. 

Dan waited until the other three were out of earshot before turning back to Virgil.   
‘He’s cute.’   
‘What?’  
‘Tall, dark and handsome.’ Dan smirked as a little blush came onto the emo’s face. ‘He’s cute.’  
‘And I don’t like him like that.’ Virgil said, crossing his arms and glaring up at him.   
‘Whatever you say.’  
‘Enough of my non-existant love life, you got married?’  
Dan chuckled and held up his hand, showing the gold band on his ring finger. ‘We got married last year in August.’  
Virgil let out a low whistle and shoved his hands in his hoodie pockets. ‘How old are your kids?’  
‘Valerie is four and Marcus is two.’   
‘And you have another on the way?’  
‘I realise this sounds like a lot, but we can handle it.’   
‘I’ll bet you can.’ Virgil grinned at him. ‘After all, the Dan Shephard I knew wouldn’t back down from a challenge.’  
‘And he still doesn’t.’ Dan chuckled and glanced down at his watch. ‘Oh, Christ, I was meant to be home five minutes ago.’  
‘I’d better catch up with the others too. It was nice seeing you.’  
‘It was good to see you too.’ They exchanged a brief embrace and Virgil turned away, heading down the isle. ‘Virge!’  
He spun on one foot to face him. ‘Yeah?’  
‘Ask tall, dark and handsome out sometime, will you?’  
‘For gods sake, Dan..’  
‘You’ve missed me getting involved with your love life.’  
‘I have not. One bit.’  
‘Ask him out!’  
‘Bye, Dan.’

The other three walked into the next isle, leaving Virgil and Dan to chat and as soon as Logan was sure Virgil couldn’t hear him, he grabbed Roman’s arm.  
‘What?’  
‘Did you see him?’  
‘Again, I must resort to “what?”’ Roman sighed, brushing off Logan’s tight grip on his arm.   
‘Did you see Dan?’  
‘Yeah, I could see him, he’s not invisible. What about him?’  
‘He...’ Logan rubbed his eyes, groaning quietly. ‘He is so attractive.’  
‘You fancy Dan?’ Patton piped up, checking the date on the carton of milk he’d just picked up.   
‘No! No..’ Logan ran a hand through his hair. ‘I..stand no chance if that’s who Virgil used to date...’  
‘Logan, don’t say that!’  
‘You know about this?’ Patton looked completely bewildered as his eyes flicked between his two roommates.   
‘I’ll explain later.’ Roman said quickly, turning back to Logan. ‘Look, you have to stop thinking like that, yes he dated him, but he also broke up with him. Stop worrying so much.’  
Logan pulled Roman back as he started to follow Patton. ‘You’re one to talk.’  
‘Hey, at least I have a reason to be panicking! The guy I like is actually seeing someone.’  
Roman shrugged off his hand and walked into the next isle, Logan following him, shaking his head; maybe the romantic was right, maybe he was just being irrational, and there was always a chance Virgil would say yes, however Logan couldn’t help but panic about the other possibilities.   
‘Maybe he will say yes..’ Logan muttered as he grabbed a packet of chips and handed it to Patton. ‘Maybe..’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have a good day/night, my lovelies!


	6. Some things are worth fighting for

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patton has a date and....oh god no...  
> Warning: Potty language, sad Pat and implied sexual assault.

Was Patton purposefully trying to torture him?

Was he doing these things on purpose to drive Roman up the wall, make his insides turn to jelly, his face turn red and his heart start to pound?

Wether he was or not, he managed to do these things too easily. Way too easily.

‘Pat? You home?’ Roman called into the apartment as he kicked off his shoes and tossed his keys onto the kitchen counter, opening the fridge and pouring himself a bit of wine leftover from the other night.  
‘I’m here, kiddo!’ Roman choked on his wine as Patton came out of his room. He was wearing a white blouse and a dark grey pleated skirt. He’d done some gorgeous eyeshadow of all different shades of blue, light blue fading into dark.  
‘You okay there?’ Patton asked, concern filling his eyes as Roman coughed into the crook of his arm.  
‘Y-Yeah, I’m fine..’ Roman breathed deeply, quickly pulling himself together before he turned back to his friend.  
‘You sure?’  
‘Yeah, I’m fine.’ Roman took another sip of his wine.  
‘Do you not like what I’m wearing? Because if it makes you feel uncomfortable or anything-‘  
‘No, it’s not that! You look..’ Roman cleared his throat, praying that Patton couldn’t see the blush on his face. ‘You look amazing.’  
‘Aww, thanks!’ Patton smiled brightly and squeezed his hand, walking into the living room, and Roman couldn’t help but notice how he walked with a bit of a skip in his step.  
‘So, how was work?’ He asked as Roman sat down on the couch opposite him.  
‘Bad, but there’s nothing new there.’ He shrugged and sipped his wine. ‘What did you get up to with your day off?’  
‘I went for a walk in the dog park, then I came back here and me and the Pals did a fashion show.’  
‘Why am I not surprised?’ Roman laughed. ‘Who’s clothes did you steal?’  
‘I stole parts from everyone’s wardrobe.’ Patton admitted, glancing up at the clock and getting up with a sigh. ‘I gotta go, I’m meeting Mark downstairs for a date.’  
‘That why you got all dressed up?’  
‘Yep.’ He chirped, grabbing his coat and heading out the door, waving goodbye to his roommate over his shoulder, who stared at the closed door long after it had shut.  
A shout from the parking lot drew his attention from the door and he ran to the open window, his stomach dropping when he saw Mark rounding on Patton, a lustful look in his eye.  
‘Shit!’  
He sprinted out the door and down the stairs, throwing himself out of the door and putting himself between Patton and Mark.  
‘What the hell are you doing?’ Mark growled as Patton whimpered quietly and Roman shielded him from the other.  
‘I could ask you the same thing.’ Roman squared his shoulders, unafraid of the bigger, stronger man opposite him.  
‘He’s my boyfriend, not yours. What I do to him is my business.’  
‘He happens to be my best friend, so yes, I believe it is my business.’  
Then Roman punched him square in the face, hard enough to send him falling backwards onto the pavement and hard enough to make his knuckles hurt. He felt his control over his powers loosen, but he didn’t care; the more this hurt Mark, the better. Roman was about to take another, harder punch at him, when Logan caught his fist.  
‘That’s enough, Roman!’ He snapped, lowering his fist as Virgil hurried over to Patton.  
‘Virgil, get Patton inside and Logan, get away from me, I don’t want to hurt you.’ Virgil did as he was instructed, taking most of Patton’s weight as they went inside. Logan, however, did not do as instructed, standing in between his friend and the man on the floor.  
‘He knows too much, Roman. He’s seen you use it, allow me to deal with him.’  
‘Can’t I at least punch him again?’  
‘No.’  
‘Fine.’ Roman huffed, anger and electricity still coursing through his body as Logan’s eyes lit up and Mark’s face went blank. After a few seconds, Logan stepped away from him, his eyes returning to their normal baby blue colour.  
‘He doesn’t remember anything about us. Come on, we have to check on Patton.’

Logan and Roman opened the door to the apartment, and Roman could swear he felt his heart break at Patton’s face. Nothing in the world could’ve prepared him for the pain in his eyes, nor his blank expression, and it physically hurt him. He’d changed from the outfit he was wearing before into a pair of black sweatpants and a grey hoodie, but even then, he was still so beautiful.  
‘Pat..’ Roman breathed. Patton looked up, his brown eyes filling with tears as Virgil rubbed his arm. ‘What happened..?’  
‘I think you know the answer to that, Roman...’ Patton murmured, sniffing and looking away from him.  
Roman didn’t think as he walked over to Patton and sat down next to him. He didn’t think as he reached over and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. He didn’t think when he let Patton curl up in his lap and cry into his chest.  
He didn’t think, hours later, after the other two had gone to bed and Patton was still in his lap, now fast asleep, when he said three little words.  
‘I love you...’  
Patton didn’t hear those words.  
Roman was slightly glad he didn’t hear those words. He didn’t need that now.  
Closing his eyes, he let himself drift off to sleep, comforted by the beautiful, precious soul curled up against him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked this. Let me know what you thought of it in the comments. That’s all, my lovelies, have a great day/night!


	7. A time to unwind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a stressful few weeks, the four have a night to themselves to relax a little.

‘Are you really sure about this?’ Logan asked, raising an eyebrow as him and the other three ascended the stairs to the roof.   
It had been a stressful week for all of them, Patton especially, but Logan was sure they could find a more productive method of stress relief than drinking, as the other three were planning to do.   
He’d seen Roman drunk before, the prince usually became much more dramatic and reckless when he’d consumed alcohol, which, along with being incredibly amusing to watch, made him difficult to control.   
As for Virgil and Patton, it was new territory for Logan, so whilst they were buying the alcohol, he had mentally prepared himself for any scenario. To be honest, he was surprised to find out that both of them drank, he couldn’t have imagined a drunk Patton, and was convinced that Virgil wouldn’t touch alcohol because of all the side-effects it came with.   
‘Stop worrying, Logan.’ Virgil waved a hand at the nerd as they reached the roof and put down the two bags of various alcohols they’d just purchased, with Logan’s credit card, mind you. ‘We’ll be fine. You should probably drink something too, you need to relax almost as much as I do.’  
‘I will, for the most part, be remaining sober for your benefit.’ Logan said as Roman pulled out two bottles from the bag he was previously holding.   
‘Whisky or vodka?’   
‘Gimme some of that whiskey.’ Virgil tossed some red plastic cups to the second-youngest roommate as Patton sat on the bench, his feet resting on the seat as he leant back and felt the wind through his hair.  
‘How about you, Pat?’ Roman called.   
‘Vodka for me, please, Ro.’   
‘Coming right up!’ 

A few hours and many drinks later and the four of them were still on the roof, all but one now completely drunk.   
‘I don’t see how you don’t have a boyfriend yet.’ Patton giggled and gently punched Roman’s shoulder, his cup in his other hand.   
‘Have you met him?’ Virgil slurred, clumsily pouring himself another drink of whiskey, and allowing Logan to take over when he sloshed it all over the bench.   
‘Yeah, and I think he should have a boyfriend!’ Patton pouted as Roman laughed.   
‘Funnily enough, so do I.’ Roman downed the last of his drink and sat back with a sigh.   
‘So why don’t you have a boyfriend?’ Patton tilted his head and nearly fell over.   
‘Just waiting for the right guy, I suppose.’ Even through his drunken haze, Roman could still make out every last freckle on Patton’s face. Patton smiled and Roman swore he blushed a little as they maintained eye contact.   
The sound of Logan clearing his throat snapped them out of their haze. ‘I believe you have all had enough to drink tonight.’ He stood and packed up the bottles into on of the bags, some unopened, others empty. ‘Come on.’  
‘Hey, Lo!’ Virgil linked his arm through Logan’s as they walked towards the door, the other two trailing behind them. ‘D’you think you could zap my brain and make me sober? I don’t wanna wake up with a hangover tomorrow.’  
Logan smirked down at his roommate. ‘I could, if I wanted too.’ Then he untangled their arms and stepped in front of Virgil, descending the stairs.   
‘Please?’  
‘No.’  
‘Logaaaann..’  
‘No.’  
‘I’ll do anything!’  
‘You’re drunk, all you’re doing is going to bed.’  
‘You’re no fun...’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo I have another story that I’m thinking about posting but I don’t know. Lemme know if that’s something y’all would be interested in reading. Have a good day/night, my lovelies!


	8. The morning and the night after

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Virgil starts to realise his feelings towards a certain smart boy, and Roman has a brilliant, if slightly dangerous idea.

The first thing Virgil realised when he woke was how much his head hurt. It was like a vice crushing his head from the outside whilst something else was trying to force its way out on the inside.   
The second thing Virgil realised was the note, glass of water and small capsule on his bedside table. Reaching out, he picked up the note and read Logan’s handwriting, neat and elegant. 

“Virgil,  
I assumed you would have a headache when you woke this morning, so take one of these tablets every four hours.   
Drink plenty of water and don’t do too much today. I’ll be home at five.   
Logan.”

Virgil couldn’t help but smile as he put the note down and waited for the world to stop spinning before daring to sit up, his mind still on the nerd who’d left a glass of water for him. Taking the tablet, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and groaned upon seeing the time: 12:41 PM, he’d slept through most of the day. Heading into the kitchen with a sigh, Virgil steadied himself on the kitchen counter, trying to stop the kitchen tiles rotating, and succeeding after a few minutes. 

Logan. 

‘Stop it..’ Virgil growled to himself as he poured a glass of water, trying to force away the one name ringing in his head. 

Logan. 

He quietly groaned, sinking down to the floor and massaging his temples as if that was going to help get him out of his head.   
‘You do not have a crush on your roommate...’ Virgil mumbled to himself, standing up and finishing his glass of water before walking into the living room and turning on the TV for background noise as he pulled out his phone, but something caught his eye as he was unlocking it: on the coffee table was a crossword and a pen. Virgil remembered Logan starting it a few days ago, and with a shrug, picked it up and started to flip through it.   
Most of the pages were complete and immaculate, not a line of ink anywhere there shouldn’t have been, but towards the end of the book, the number of doodles on the margin of the pages increased with every new puzzle. Most were just meaningless scribbles, sometimes the odd Ying-Yang sketched in, but a few were impeccable pieces of art, he had no idea Logan could draw so well.   
‘You do not have a crush on your roommate..’ Virgil told himself firmly as he put the book down and started to scroll through Tumblr, trying to distract his mind. ‘You do not...’ 

‘And what might you be doing?’ Virgil asked, raising an eyebrow as Roman came out of his room, dawned in a white prince outfit with a blood red sash across his chest and black knee high boots. On his face was a black velvet mask that was embroidered with gold on the edges, his black gloves having the same patterns.   
‘Boys, let me introduce you to this city’s newest hero!’ Roman made a dramatic gesture with his hands as Virgil and Logan shared a skeptical glance. ‘Prince Charging!’  
‘Roman, what’re you talking about?’ Logan sighed, standing up and crossing his arms.   
‘I’m going out and saving people in need!’  
‘Oh no you’re not!’ Virgil snapped as he jumped up from the couch. ‘Do you realise how dangerous this is?’  
‘I agree.’ Logan said, eyeing Roman warily. ‘You could get yourself killed or arrested.’  
‘Okay, guys, I get it, it’s dangerous, but..’ Roman took off his mask and fiddled with it between his fingers. ‘I just want to do something good for other people...I act like a self-absorbed git most of the time, and I just want to do something good with my powers.’  
‘Alright, you can go.’ At Virgil and Patton’s noises of surprise and Romans cheer, Logan held up a finger to silence them. ‘But I am keeping tabs on you the entire time.’  
‘Great, a babysitter.’ Roman groaned.   
‘You’re not going unless you agree with this.’   
‘Fine. Virge, can you get me away from the apartment?’   
Virgil nodded and in the blink of an eye, Roman was gone, Virgil having stopped time to get him away from the block. Logan’s eyes lit up as he started to keep track of where Roman was and what he was doing, sitting back down next to Virgil with a sigh.   
‘He’s an idiot.’ Virgil mumbled, pulling his legs up on the couch and resting his chin on his knees.   
‘I get why he wants to do it though.’ Patton replied, pulling the blanket tighter around himself. ‘I don’t think it’s the best way to go about it, but if it makes him feel better.’  
‘Some people do charity work, others run around the city dressed like a gay hairdresser on Halloween...’ Virgil muttered into his drink, making Logan snort out a laugh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to say thank you for 100+ reads. It really means so much to me that people enjoy what I do, so thank you! Have a great day/night, my lovelies!


	9. Something he really shouldn’t have done

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roman, you iDIOT-

Roman got in after a night’s patrol a few weeks later, stretching and yawning whilst kicking off his boots; it had been a long night with a bit of activity, but not as much as he’d hoped for.   
Taking an apple out of the bowl on the counter, Roman almost screamed when he saw someone sitting on the couch, just quietly watching him. Even in the darkness, he could make out the distinctive ears that fell off the hood of Patton’s cat hoodie.   
‘Sorry, Ro, didn’t mean to scare you..’ He whispered as Roman sat down, still munching on his apple.   
‘What’re you doing up?’ He asked.   
Patton shrugged, fiddling with the strings on his hoodie. ‘I just couldn’t sleep..’  
‘Do you know what kept you up?’  
‘I just couldn’t clear my head, so I got up to write a few things down, I read somewhere that helps.’  
‘I’m always free to talk if you need it.’ Roman gently put a hand on Patton’s leg.   
‘You’ve just gotten in from patrol, Roman, you look exhausted.’ Patton put his hand on top of Roman’s and laced their fingers together, squeezing his hand.   
‘I’ve always got energy for you, Pat..’ Roman found his hand placing itself on the side of Patton’s face and caressing his cheek gently. ‘No matter what time it is, or how tired I am...’  
Patton smiled and felt a blush grow on his cheeks as he looked down at the couch and answered. ‘You’re sweet, but I won’t ask you to do that for me...’   
‘I would do it though...’ Patton looked back up at him, Roman’s hand still on the side of his face. ‘I’d do anything for you..’  
Patton suddenly became acutely aware of Roman’s hand on his leg as the latter pulled him a little closer.   
‘Stop me now if you don’t want me to do this, because once if you don’t, it can’t be undone.’ Roman whispered, their faces now barely six inches apart. ‘I don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable..’  
Patton hesitated for another second, before he closed the distance between them, kissing him cautiously; Roman took it slowly, gently placing his hands on Patton’s hips, who wrapped his arms around Roman’s shoulders, pulling him flush closer. The intoxication was almost instant, and all Patton could think was: “More, more, more.”   
They jumped apart as they heard a door open, springing to either end of the couch as Virgil walked out of his room and raised an eyebrow at the two still awake.   
‘What’re you two doing up?’  
‘I got in from a patrol a few minutes ago.’ Roman stood and nodded goodnight to both of them, winking at Patton who shook his head at him, a small grin on his face. After the Prince’s door had shut, Virgil spoke up.   
‘You alright Pat? You look a little red.’  
‘Oh, I’m fine kiddo, just a little warm, is all.’ Patton said, brushing off his hoodie and saying a quick goodnight to the emo before retreating into his room and having the biggest GayPanicTM of his life about the fact that he had just kissed Roman Flynn, and Roman Flynn had kissed him back. 

‘You kissed him?’ Logan asked as Roman sighed, covering his face with his hands. It was the morning after Patton and Roman had kissed, and since Logan was his best friend and also the only one who had the day off, he’d turned to him for advice.   
‘I kissed him.’  
‘You kissed him?’  
‘I kissed him.’  
‘Oh my god, Roman...’  
‘I know, I know..’   
‘Did he kiss you back?’   
‘Eww, why do you want to know, pervert?’  
‘If he kissed you back, surely that means he’s interested in you in the same way you are.’   
‘It’s not that simple..’ Roman groaned, running a hand through his hair. ‘I wish it was, but it’s not.’   
‘Of course it’s that simple.’ Logan sat down next to him, a quizzical eyebrow raised. ‘If he kissed you back, he likes you.’  
‘There could be other reasons why he did it: he could’ve felt sorry for me and not wanted to hurt my feelings, he could’ve used it as a way to escape from the whole Mark situation, or just because he was sad and lonely and needed someone beside him.’  
‘Okay, Roman, listen to me: you’d know if that was the case.’ Logan sighed and folded his hands in his lap, staring down at them through his glasses. ‘Trust me...’  
‘Really?’   
‘I suffered,’ Logan paused, seeming to be formulating his next words carefully. ‘A tragic loss eight years ago, when I was eighteen, and I...’ He closed his eyes, not daring to open them just in case tears started to form. ‘And because of that, my lips have kissed those of people who didn’t actually want me.’ He took a deep breath and looked at his friend, a slight smile tugging at the corners of his lips. ‘There’s a difference, Roman...you can feel it when someone wants you and when they don’t, it’s not the same, it’s not..right somehow. Did you feel that?’  
Roman shook his head after a moment. ‘It felt like second nature...something I’d been doing my whole life, but it felt so new and exciting at the same time, I don’t really know how to explain it.’  
‘You’ve explained it well enough.’ Logan put his hand on his shoulder and smiled. ‘He likes you back.’  
‘Somehow, I still don’t believe it.’  
‘Ask him out on a date. Chat him up, be your wonderful, charming self and you don’t have anything to worry about.’  
‘I hope you’re right..’  
‘I always am.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, y’all had this coming for a while. Have a good day/night, my lovelies! <3


	10. Somewhere only he goes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Logan opens up to Virgil about his past.

Virgil shivered and pulled the hood closer to his face as his already soaked hoodie took another battering from the rain currently pouring across the city; the one day he didn’t bring a coat into work, he missed the bus home and it had started raining: unbelievable. He should’ve listened to Patton, then again, you should always listen to Patton, the cookie-lover did have a certain tendency to be right about a lot of things.   
He turned a corner, casting a quick glance left and right as he crossed the street when something, namely someone, caught his eye: sitting on a bench in the graveyard, facing away from him was the tall, slim frame of Logan, holding a black umbrella in his hand and staring at something in front of him.   
Thinking the better of it, and now more confused than anything, Virgil entered the graveyard, slowly making his way over to Logan and taking in a sharp breath when he saw that the rims of his eyes were red, as though he’d been crying.   
‘Lo?’ Logan spun around quickly, one of his hands flying up to his face to wipe away what was left of the tears. ‘What’re you doing here?’  
‘I could ask you the same question.’   
‘I’m here because I saw you.’ Virgil sat down next to him, settling under the umbrella but keeping his distance just in case. ‘Now, answer my question.’  
‘Do you promise not to tell the other two? I don’t really want them knowing...’  
‘I won’t tell them unless you want me to.’  
‘I’m here because of her.’ He nodded his head towards a white marble grave about five feet away from them. It looked old, but someone regularly came here to clean it, so Virgil could read the writing etched into it. 

“Here lies Camilla Marie O’Malley.  
Beloved daughter, granddaughter and friend.   
February 9th - May 17th.   
Forever missed by the one who loved her most.   
R.I.P.”

‘I met Cammie when we were four years old, on the first day of kindergarten.’ Virgil sat back as Logan began talking. ‘I was planning to just get through school, get good grades, be successful and I didn’t need anybody else to achieve that.’ He laughed sadly. ‘Or so I thought.   
‘She came over and talked to me first, what with me being an introverted nerd and all. She had very distinct dark blue eyes and light brown hair, freckles smattered all over her cheeks. She was genuinely one of the most beautiful people I’ve ever had the privilege of meeting. She was bubbly, smart and had a silver tongue that even would give you a run for your money.’ Virgil raised an eyebrow in disbelief but didn’t say anything.   
‘We were friends all through middle school, and I realised I had gained feelings for her when I was thirteen, but didn’t say anything because I didn’t want to lose her. By some miracle, however, she felt the same about me and we started dating when I was fifteen.   
‘We were so happy and I genuinely loved her. For the first time, I had someone who cared about me and could tolerate my rants about Doctor Who without throwing something at me, it was quite magical. But, like all good things, it couldn’t last..’ Logan sighed, looking up to keep the tears in his eyes from escaping as he took a deep breath; Virgil had never seen him so emotional before, and it hurt him to see it.   
‘She started going downhill in the last year of our relationship, she just got more and more depressed and I did nothing to help. I couldn’t, I didn’t know how.   
‘I called her house eight times that day and she didn’t pick up, so I went by after I’d finished work to check up on her, and I wish I could take back what I saw when I walked into her bedroom...I wish I could forget having to cut down the rope and do CPR whilst I waited desperately for an ambulance, knowing I was too late...I wish I could forget that...’  
Virgil looked away to wipe his own tears as Logan pulled at the chain around his neck, opening the locket part and taking out a small piece of folded paper, handing it to Virgil.   
‘She left three notes: one for her mother, father and brother, one for the police and one for me..’ He nodded to the paper on Virgil’s hand. ‘That’s mine...I know it line-by-line..’  
Virgil carefully unfolded it and Logan started reciting the letter perfectly word to word. 

‘“My dearest Logan,  
I hope you weren’t the one to find me, and if you were, I’m sorry. I’m sorry for a lot of things to be honest, but enough of that. 

I never wanted to leave you like this. I wanted to marry you, buy a house, squabble over curtain patterns, start a family, grow old together. I wanted all of that, but I just can’t. I’m tired of living in this world, I was born at the wrong time and in the wrong place. 

Just know that you were the only thing I was living for. You made my life better, but I need to leave now. Just promise me you’ll move on and learn to love again, because if you don’t, I’ll have died in vain. I want you to be happy, and the only way to do that is to move on with your life. 

Go and live my dream, not for me, for you because you deserve it more than anybody else in the world. You were the best thing to happen to me and I love you so much. 

Goodbye, my dearest. I will never forget you. 

Your Cammie.”’

‘Logan..’ Virgil bit his lip and slowly took Logan’s hand, lacing their fingers together and looking him in the eyes as the other sniffed and wiped away tears. ‘You loved her, didn’t you?’  
‘So much...there isn’t a day that goes by when I don’t miss her..’  
Virgil nodded and, after a moment of internal deliberation, laid his head on Logan’s shoulder, resting their intertwined hands on his thigh. Logan took a shaky breath and put his head on top of Virgil’s, feeling his purple hair tickle his neck and cheek as he closed his eyes.   
Wordlessly, Virgil separated their hands and took his head off of his shoulder and Logan watched as Virgil seemingly conjured up a white rose in his hand, but Logan knew he had to have stopped time to go and get it. They both stood and Virgil gently placed it on top of the grave, then returned to Logan’s side and the protection from the rain the umbrella provided, and was surprised to feel Logan’s arm slip across his shoulders, but he leaned into the touch, knowing his friend was hurting so much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Love you all, my lovelies <3


	11. A step in the right direction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Logan makes a startling discovery and the others meet a new friend.

Logan sat back in his seat, the thoughts of anyone within a ten mile radius of Roman flooding into his head, then being pushed away if not needed or important; he would never admit to it because it was his idea and Patton would make Roman go solo, but doing this for multiple hours on end was physically and mentally exhausting. He always felt so drained afterward and the exhaustion always came with a pounding headache.   
Something caught his attention in the mind of one of a passerby and deciding that Roman could last a few minutes without getting himself in too much trouble and quickly found the person he was looking for. Digging right down to the chemical makeup of his brain, Logan gasped as he saw something awfully familiar. Still keeping tabs on Roman, Logan allowed some of his consciousness to return to his body.   
‘Patton, get Roman on the phone now.’   
‘Is something wrong?’ Virgil asked, his anxiety starting to kick in at Logan’s tone as Patton ran into his room to grab his phone. ‘Is he alright?’   
‘He’s fine, but I need all of you to hear this. Can you get me a notepad and a pen? I need to write something down.’  
Virgil handed him his notebook and pen and watched as Patton came back into the room and Logan started scrawling down notes at incredible speed.   
‘Have you got him?’  
‘It’s still-‘ Patton stopped halfway as Roman picked up. ‘Hey, Ro.’  
‘Is everything alright? You never call me unless it’s an emergency or there’s a spider in your room.’  
‘1. That is an emergency, Roman Flynn, you know I don’t like creepy-crawly-death-dealers,’ Virgil and Roman snorted at Patton’s suddenly deadly serious tone. ‘And 2. We’re fine, but Logan said he needed to talk to all of us.’   
‘What’s up, Microsoft Nerd?’  
‘You’re all going to think I’m insane but,’ Logan slid the piece of paper he had previously been writing on across the coffee table to Virgil and Patton. ‘I’ve found someone else.’ Logan levelled his gaze with Virgil and Patton. ‘Someone else with powers.’

Silence fell across the four as Logan’s gaze flicked between the two in the room and the phone on the coffee table, until Virgil finally spoke up.   
‘What did you just say...?’  
‘I’ve found someone else with powers in the city.’  
‘How?’ Patton asked.   
‘I was tracking Roman and something about one of the minds of someone around him caught my attention. I did a little digging, and I found the same difference in the chemical makeup of the brain that we have.’   
‘I’m coming home.’ Roman sighed through the phone. ‘What d’you know about him?’  
Logan pulled back the piece of paper and started reading aloud. ‘Thomas Sanders, twenty-eight, 5”11 and he grew up in a small town just outside the city. I have his schedule memorised and I know where he works.’  
‘Creep.’ Virgil muttered, making Logan crack a smile. ‘D’you know what he can do?’  
‘I’m not sure. But, here’s the strangest thing: when I read his mind, I found memories of me.’  
‘But you’ve never met him, right?’ Patton blinked confusedly.   
‘No, but I do have a gap in my memory shortly after I found all three of you.’  
‘Maybe he has weird, mind control-y powers like you, nerd.’ Roman chimed.   
‘Maybe...’ Logan seconded, but his tone sounded different, distracted, and Virgil knew he was trying to connect the dots in his head, because that’s just what Logan did.   
‘How far away are you?’ Patton asked.   
‘Not too far, about a block.’  
‘Make sure you’re not followed.’ Virgil said as he cast a concerned glance at Logan, who was staring off into space, his eyes glowing faintly. ‘We don’t need the authorities around here.’  
‘I’m not being followed, JD-lightful, I promise.’   
‘Heathers? Really, Roman?’  
‘I’m preforming in it, emo, do not insult my work!’   
‘It’s not like you wrote it.’  
‘Logan, tell him to shut up.’  
‘Tell him yourself...’  
‘You’re insufferable. Alright, I’m nearly home, I’ll be in in a minute.’ The call ended with a click and Logan sighed, taking off his glasses and putting a hand over his eyes.   
‘You good, Lo?’  
‘Fine. I’m merely curious as to what he can do and how he erased my mind.’  
‘Me too.’  
‘I’m home!’ Roman sang, opening the door and pulling off his boots, joining Virgil and Patton on the couch whilst Logan stayed in his armchair. ‘Okay, so what’re we going to do? Do we talk to this guy or what?’   
‘I think we should.’ Patton said, fiddling with the cardigan wrapped around his shoulders. ‘If he knows about his powers, he’ll be alone and afraid, I think it’s only fair we go and talk to him.’   
‘He might freak when he sees Logan though.’ Roman said. ‘Did you get a look at the memories he has of you?’   
‘Yes, and it doesn’t look good.’ Logan shook his head as he spoke, his eyes still glowing faintly. ‘All the memories he has linked to me are ones of when he felt afraid.’   
‘So it’s probably not a good idea to have you approach him.’ Virgil said. ‘All four of us together could scare him, so might three, but I don’t feel comfortable with just me and Patton approaching him.’  
‘All of us.’ Logan piped up and all eyes turned to him. His eyes were now back to their normal baby blue. ‘It’s none of us or all of us.’   
‘All of us then.’ Patton said, smiling at the thought of a new friend. 

‘That’s him?’ Roman asked Logan as he looked over his shoulder at the man in a red shirt and the other two waited for Logan’s confirmation.   
‘That’s him.’ Logan nodded as they started towards the other man.   
‘What’s the plan when we actually start talking to him?’ Patton mumbled, looking up at Logan. ‘I mean, you can’t just go up to him and start talking about powers, he’ll freak.’  
‘Pat has a point, what do we say?’ Roman said.   
‘Leave that to me.’ Virgil smirked and Logan raised an eyebrow, which Virgil saw and laughed at. ‘I’m not gonna scare him, not intentionally anyway.’  
‘Just be careful with what you say, Virgil.’ Logan said as they got closer to the other man, now keeping quiet as not to startle him away. When they had reached a fairly quiet street, Virgil quickened his pace and tapped his shoulder as the other spun around and the others caught up to him.   
‘Hey, Thomas right?’   
‘Yeah, and you are?’ Thomas furrowed his eyebrows and glanced nervously between the other three behind Virgil.   
‘The name’s Virgil. This is Logan and Patton, and that ginger doof is Roman.’ He grinned and stuck out his hand for Thomas to shake, but he looked up at the other as Logan caught his wrist.   
‘That probably isn’t a good idea, Virgil.’ He whispered, his mouth close to Virgil’s ear, making Virgil shiver a little.   
‘Right, of course.’ Virgil put his hand back in his hoodie pocket when Logan released his wrist.   
‘Wait, I know you.’ Thomas said as he watched Logan straighten up and readjust his glasses. ‘You came up to me about nine months ago.’  
‘Indeed.’ Logan said shortly and the other three could practically feel the waves of panic rolling off their friend. ‘I did.’  
‘Who are you?’ Thomas looked panicked as Virgil spoke up again.   
‘You ever had anything weird happen to you? Anything you or the laws of nature can’t explain?’   
‘W-What? How do you know about that?’  
‘Okay, you three, go home.’ Patton said, stepping in front of his roommates and turning to face them. ‘I’ve got this.’  
‘Pat-‘  
‘Nope, I don’t wanna hear it, Roman.’ Patton held up his hand to silence his roommate. ‘Go home.’  
‘You sure you’ll be alright?’ Virgil asked.   
‘Go.’  
‘Alright..’ They all turned away and Patton made sure they were out of the way before turning back to the more-than-scared Thomas beside him.   
‘Sorry about them, kiddo, they can be a bit much.’ Patton smiled apologetically, tugging at the sleeves of his cardigan. ‘Can I buy you a hot cocoa or something?’   
‘You don’t have too, I just want an explanation.’  
‘No, I insist.’ Patton started walking towards the cafe down the street and Thomas followed close behind, now more intrigued than anything. ‘It’s the least you deserve after that scare.’ 

‘Let me get this straight,’ Thomas said, cradling the warm cup close to his body as he glanced at Patton. ‘All four of you have powers and you want to help me figure out what mine are.’  
‘That’s about it.’ Patton chuckled as he took a sip of his drink, wrapping his scarf tighter around his neck to conserve body heat. ‘What happened with Logan?’  
‘He came up to me about nine months ago and started rambling about powers or something. I touched his hand to stop him talking and all of a sudden, I had these memories, but they weren’t mine.’  
‘What did you do?’  
‘What else, I panicked and ran.’ Thomas laughed mildly. ‘What can you all do?’  
‘Virgil can stop and start time, Logan has psychokinesis and telepathy, Roman can generate electricity and I can make duplicates of myself.’  
‘You can make more of you?’ When Patton nodded, Thomas leant back on the bench and laughed. ‘That must be the best thing in the world! Imagine how much you could get done!’  
‘It is pretty helpful.’ Patton took a sip, savouring the taste of the sweet liquid, the cream and the marshmallows inside. ‘So, do you want to learn more about your powers?’  
‘I don’t know..’ Thomas shook his head with a sigh, facing the man next to him. ‘Part of me does, but another part of me is thinking: you had a normal, happy life before you found out about your powers, do you really want to do this? Y’know what I mean?’  
‘Yeah, I do.’ Patton smiled at him. ‘But at the end of the day, we have these powers for life because they don’t seem to be going away anytime soon. Better to embrace it than repress it, but it’s your choice.’   
‘I’ll do it.’ Thomas said after a moment.   
‘You sure?’  
‘Fairly. Can I give you my phone number?’   
‘Sure!’ Patton took his phone and quickly imputed his number before handing it back, being careful not to touch him.   
‘Why can’t you touch me?’ Thomas asked as he took the phone back and put it in his pocket.   
‘When you touched Logan, you did something to him, you erased his mind of you without meaning to. We have no idea what it would do any of our powers, and we can’t risk it.’   
‘That makes sense.’ Thomas nodded and smiled at him, both of them standing up. ‘Well, it was good meeting you, Patton, I’ll drop you a text sometime.’  
‘Sounds great! Maybe you could come by for dinner sometime.’  
‘I like the sound of that. And Patton?’  
‘Yeah?’  
‘Are you and Roman together?’  
Patton instantly felt his face burn as he shook his head. ‘Not officially anyway.’  
‘Alright. I’ll see you around!’  
‘Bye!’ Patton turned and started walking back to the apartment, a huge grin on his face: he was a conversation genius.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed <3


	12. To love and to loose, the sequel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things between Roman and Patton are finally settled and Logan and Virgil grow even closer.

‘Your favourite genius is home!’ Patton sung as he walked into the apartment, grinning at the looks on Virgil and Logan’s faces.   
‘You convinced him?’ Virgil asked.   
‘I did indeed, and I got a hot cocoa out of it.’ Patton said as he hung his scarf up on a peg and checked the chart as to who’s turn it was to cook dinner.   
‘You did well, Patton.’ Logan said, not glancing up from his book.   
‘Thanks, Logie!’  
Roman stepped out of his room and leant against the doorframe, watching Patton carefully, admiring every part of him. He was just so goddamn beautiful.   
‘Patton, a word if you don’t mind?’ Roman asked, not restraining the smile on his face as Patton beamed up at him.   
‘Of course, Ro!’ Roman and Logan shared a look as Patton went into his bedroom, sitting down on the bed and crossing his legs. ‘What’s up?’  
Roman sat down next to him and took his hand, looking him in his eyes as he started talking. ‘Patton, I really like you. Seeing you happy is the best thing in the world, and it would give me the greatest pleasure of you would allow me to take you on a date.’  
Patton bit his lip and shook his head, not wanting to meet his eyes anymore. ‘Oh Ro...’  
‘What?’  
‘Listen, Ro, I really like you too, it’s just...’ Patton sighed and eventually looked up, meeting Roman’s emerald orbs. ‘I can’t do this...I’ve just gotten out of a very messy relationship, and if everything was different, I’d say yes in a heartbeat but everything isn’t different...’ Roman nodded sadly and looked down, and Patton reached out with his free hand, placing it on the side of his face, making him look up. ‘I’m not saying yes because I’m not ready, not because I don’t like you...but I’m not saying no, either...someday, I will be ready, but that day just isn’t today...’  
Patton dropped his hand from Roman’s face as a smile graced his features and he raised Patton’s hand to his lips and kissed it gently, making him turn beet red.   
‘I will count the minutes until you’re ready.’   
‘I have no doubt.’ Patton grinned and swiftly kissed Roman’s cheek before heading out the door, leaving Roman staring after him, a hand flying up to where Patton’s lips had been as he smiled. 

He stood a chance. 

He stood a chance. 

Logan stirred slowly, blinking in the light of his desktop lamp as he sat up in his office chair, suddenly becoming aware that he appeared to be in the world of stopped time, and that there was someone else in his room.   
‘Virgil?’ He asked, getting out of his chair and walking over to the man in the corner of the room who was shaking violently. ‘Virge, are you alright?’   
Virgil looked up at him and shook his head, tears streaming down his face as Logan quickly made sense of the situation: Virgil was in the middle of a panic attack and had stopped time until he had calmed down. He never usually pulled any of the others into the world of stopped time whilst he was panicking, so Logan knew it had to be bad.   
‘Virgil, can I touch you?’   
Virgil nodded and practically collapsed into the older man’s arms as Logan stumbled a little, then righted himself and put his arms cautiously around Virgil’s middle, trying to recall techniques he’d learned over the years.   
The first one that sprung to mind was to get him to sit down and swaddle him in blankets and fluffy things whilst, if they allow you too, keeping constant contact with them.   
Gently guiding him to his bed, Logan sat down against the headboard and laid Virgil down next to him, Virgil wrapping his arms around Logan, and Logan gently brushing a hand up and down his back as tears continued down his face.   
‘Virgil, can you breathe with me? Can you do that for me?’ Virgil nodded and Logan took in a deep breath, feeling Virgil start to copy him. After a few minutes, Virgil calmed down enough to talk.   
‘Thanks, Lo...’  
‘Anytime, Virgil.’ Logan said softly, gently tracing circles on his back. ‘What triggered it?’  
‘I...don’t know...’ Virgil admitted sheepishly, fiddling with Logan’s worn NASA t-shirt. ‘I just stopped time to make sure I didn’t wake the other two up whilst I got you...’  
‘Why me? Surely Patton is better at situations like this..’  
‘Yeah, he knows more about emotions, but he emits the emotions of those around him and makes them stronger...’ He shrugged lightly. ‘Not the best when you’re trying to calm down...’  
‘Ah, I see.’   
They stayed in comfortable silence for a few seconds until Virgil shifted uncomfortably.   
‘Can I move? My arm’s going dead..’  
‘Of course.’ Logan leaned forward and Virgil took his arm back, and Logan expected him to shift further away on his double bed, but much to his surprise, Virgil moved into his lap, leaning the back of his head into Logan’s chest.   
‘Is this okay? I can move if you want...’  
‘No, it’s,’ Logan cleared his throat, trying to pretend that his heart wasn’t pounding. ‘It’s quite alright, Virgil...’  
Logan slowly wound his arms around Virgil’s stomach, a little over his waistline, as the other sighed contentedly and restarted time, closing his eyes afterward.   
‘G’night, Lo...’   
Logan swallowed and leant his head back on the wall behind him, quickly pulling himself together, before looking back down to the sleeping man in his arms.   
‘Goodnight, Virgil...’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for 200+ hits, I can’t even describe how much it means to me. Have a great day/night, my lovelies! <3


	13. A big, big problem and some new revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thomas comes round for dinner and discovers a few things he didn’t know about himself in the process. And....oh god no...
> 
> Warnings: Potty language.

Roman stepped out of his room, rubbing sleep out of his eyes as he stumbled into the kitchen and yawned. It had been a long night of patrols and, though he’d gotten a decent night’s sleep, he was physically exhausted. He was so exhausted that he didn’t even notice the black ball of smoke curled up by the window until it raised its head.   
‘The fuck?!’ Roman shouted, waking up instantly and jumping back, hitting the back of his head against the cabinet door as the thing reared its head and started towards him. Grabbing the closest thing to him, a large cooking pot Logan had used to cook dinner with and its lid, he advanced on the thing, sparks of electricity flying off of him as he backed the creature into a corner.   
‘Roman, what the hell are you- holy fuck, what is that?!’ Roman did his best to block out Virgil’s shout as he surged forward and caught the creature in the pot, nodding to the window.   
‘Could you..?’  
Without another word, Virgil ran to the window and got it open standing back as Roman threw the pot out of the window and shut it quickly, sparks still flying off of him.   
‘I will only ask you once:,’ Virgil whispered, his voice deathly quiet. ‘What the ever-loving fuck was that...?’  
‘I don’t have a clue, Virgil.’ Roman steadied himself on the windowsill and tried to clear his mind so that he could process what he just did. ‘I don’t know..’  
‘What’s going on, kiddos?’ Patton asked as he came out of his room, putting his glasses on the bridge of his nose.   
‘Okay, we’re talking about why Logan was with Virgil last night in a minute,’ Both Virgil and Logan flushed at that as Roman rambled on. ‘Because I just threw a smoke-demon-snake-thing out of the window in one of Patton’s cooking pots!’ He looked towards his roommate and smiled apologetically. ‘Sorry about that, Pat.’  
‘Did you hit your head or something, Roman?’ Logan asked, chuckling.   
‘He’s not joking.’ Virgil said quietly. ‘I saw it.’  
‘Guys, doncha realise how insane this sounds?’ Patton asked, looking between Roman and Virgil. ‘I mean, a smoke-demon-snake-thing?’  
‘Agreed.’ Logan seconded.   
‘I know what it is, and I know where it came from.’ Virgil said and Logan slowly turned towards him, an eyebrow raised.   
‘What are you talking about, Virgil?’   
‘Last night, I had a panic attack and stopped time in the middle of it to get Logan. It came from one of my portals.’   
‘Again, we’re talking about that later.’ Roman pointed to the two of them. ‘How do you know it came from there?’  
‘Because it happened when I was younger.’ Virgil didn’t look up as Logan walked over and took his hands, standing in front of him and rubbing his thumbs over his knuckles.   
‘Virgil..’  
‘It’s okay, Lo.’ Virgil squeezed his hands and started talking. ‘I was in the middle of a panic attack when I was about thirteen and something started coming out of my portal. It looked exactly like what Roman was wrestling with.’   
‘What did you do?’ Patton asked.   
‘I freaked and restarted time before it could get anywhere. It hasn’t happened since then.’   
‘Do you know what it is?’ Logan asked and when Virgil shook his head, he walked over to the window, opening it and poking his head out, sucking in a sharp breath when he saw the mangled remains of what had been Patton’s pot.   
‘Well, whatever it is, it’s gone.’ Logan said as he closed the window and turned back to the other three.   
‘We have to find it.’ Virgil said.   
‘We’ll go and look for it later on today, we all have work.’ Logan said, walking into the kitchen and starting to brew coffee for them all.   
‘So, what were you two doing in the same room last night?’  
‘Roman!’  
‘C’mon, I wanna know!’  
‘Stop making it seem like we had se-‘  
‘Don’t you dare finish that sentence, Virgil Ingram! You know we don’t say that word in this household!’  
‘Yeah, Virge!’  
‘I have a feeling this is going to be a long day...’ Logan sighed as he poured himself a mug of coffee and took a sip. 

Patton licked his lips nervously as he shredded some mint on top of the uncooked chicken and watched as Logan came out of his room, dressed in a smart black shirt and tie; Thomas was coming over for dinner that night, and Patton has asked the other three to appear at least decently presentable, for his sake.   
‘Do you require any assistance?’ Logan nodded to the several bowls and utensils Patton had out on the counter.   
‘No, I think I’m okay thanks, Lo.’ Patton picked up the tray and put it in the oven, setting one of the timers as Virgil walked out of him room, sporting a purple button-up and some black ripped jeans; Patton couldn’t help but smirk at the look on Logan’s face as Virgil fidgeted uncomfortably.   
‘Look, I know it’s a little more formal than what I usually wear, so get your insults out of your system now.’ He said, scratching the back of his neck.   
‘I was actually going to say that I rather like what you’re wearing.’ Logan said with a smirk, making Virgil turn slightly red.   
‘Whatever, I’m sure Roman’s gonna take the piss anyway.’ Virgil mumbled, sitting down on the couch as Roman came out of his room, dressed in a red and white bomber jacket, a white shirt and a pair of black jeans. Patton swallowed and tried to ignore how quickly his heart was beating at just the sight of Roman; this crush was getting out of control.   
‘You got anything on the demon thing, Calculator Watch?’ Roman asked as he straightened out his jacket. Logan shook his head with a sigh, biting his lip.   
‘I can’t find it. Nothing has ever managed to avoid my detection for this long.’  
‘We’ll find it, I know we will.’ Patton said because if he said it enough, he’d believe it. In truth, the snake monster Roman has described did scare him a little. ‘In the meantime, do we tell Thomas about it?’  
‘We don’t want to overwhelm him,’ Virgil said slowly. ‘The poor guy’s probably still reeling from meeting us, so I think we should save it for another time.’   
‘Sounds good to me.’ The buzzer sounded just as the last word escaped Roman’s mouth, signalling that their guest had arrived. Patton bit the inside of his mouth nervously as he walked up to the buzzer and called Thomas up, turning and fiddling with the cuffs on his baby blue shirt as he addressed the others.   
‘Be nice, okay? Give him a bit of space and don’t frighten him.’   
‘You got it, Pop-Star.’ Virgil gave a two-fingered salute as they heard a quiet knock on the door.   
Patton opened it with a smile, bouncing on the balls of his feet as Thomas shifted his feet nervously and held out the bottle of wine in his hands, meeting Patton’s grin with a weak smile.   
‘You didn’t have to bring us anything, kiddo.’ He took the bottle out of Thomas’s hands and set it on the kitchen counter as the other came inside, shutting the door behind him and taking a quick look around.   
‘I figured I might as well.’ He shrugged and sat down at the table next to Logan.   
‘It has come to my attention that an apology is in order, Thomas.’ Logan cleared his throat awkwardly. ‘We startled you a bit too much when we met, so I humbly ask for your forgiveness.’  
Thomas looked over at Virgil when he snorted at Logan, eyebrow raised. ‘Lo isn’t the best at admitting when he’s wrong, and when he does he gets all formal.’  
‘Falsehood!’  
‘Well, thank you, you’re forgiven.’ Thomas chuckled lightly as spun in his chair as Patton opened the oven door and pulled out a wonderful looking chicken, cooked to perfection. ‘My god, Pat, that looks amazing!’  
Patton blushed a little at the compliment as he started to put the vegetables into separate bowls to put on the table. ‘Aww, thanks, kiddo!’  
‘Patton is an excellent cook.’ Roman smiled as he stood from his place at the dining table and took two of the bowls from the counter, setting them on the table then going back to the counter and leaning on it, watching Patton carefully. ‘Though he can’t bake for his life.’  
‘I can bake!’ Patton huffed.   
‘Ready-made mixes don’t count, Pat.’ Virgil called, passing out cutlery.   
‘Still!’   
‘You all really are a family, huh?’ Thomas grinned at them each in turn, slowly becoming more and more comfortable with these three strangers as the banter continued.   
Logan shook his head with a sigh. ‘You have no idea...’

‘So you really don’t know what your powers are?’ Roman asked as he put his arm across the back of his chair and looked over to Thomas. It was later now and the wonderful dinner Patton has prepared had been eaten and the dishes were in the sink, ready to be washed up the next morning.   
‘Nope.’ Thomas shrugged and picked up his glass, swilling the crimson wine around in it before taking a sip.   
‘But you took memories from Logan, didn’t you?’ Patton asked. ‘Surely your power must have something to do with that.’  
‘I doubt it.’ Logan piped up, tilting his head. ‘If that were the case, you would be aware of it. Even when my abilities aren’t activated, I can hear murmurs of people’s thoughts in my head.’  
‘That’s definitely not what’s going on.’ Thomas said. ‘Couldn’t you just get in my head and figure out what it is?’ He nodded over to the raven-haired man next to him.   
‘No, it doesn’t work like that. If I were to dig to the chemical makeup of your brain, it would show that it is slightly different to that of an ordinary human, but it wouldn’t show me your ability.’ He paused, his eyes raking over the others at the table. ‘However, I did discover something interesting.’  
‘And that is?’ Virgil asked.   
‘The chemical makeup of our brains is slightly different to that of Thomas’s, but Thomas’s isn’t quite normal either. It seems that Thomas’s power isn’t like our own, not as powerful almost.’   
‘So what does that have to do with me erasing your mind?’   
‘You mentioned that you touched my hand to stop me talking, then your head was filled with memories that weren’t yours, correct?’ Thomas nodded slowly. ‘What were you thinking in that moment?’  
Thomas furrowed his eyebrows, remembering back to that day. ‘That you’d forget about me and leave me be.’   
Logan nodded, a small smile growing on his face. ‘That would make sense. My hypothesis is that when you touched my skin, you took in some of my power then used it against me without meaning to.’   
‘I took in your power?’   
‘Then expelled it out, yes.’  
‘So what could I do to the rest of you?’   
‘I’m not sure. Though, since this is a fairly controlled environment, I’m sure we could test it. Only if you’re willing to, of course.’ Logan added.   
‘There’s no harm in trying.’ Thomas shrugged and stood up. ‘The question is, who’s gonna be the first victim?’  
‘I’ll do it.’ Roman stood instantly, jumping out of his chair and thrusting his hand towards the newcomer.   
‘If either of you start to feel faint, or if you feel uncomfortable, let go immediately.’ Logan warned. Both of the participants nodded and shared a look before Roman grabbed Thomas’s hand and held it.   
‘I don’t feel anything.’ Roman reported after a few minutes, dropping Thomas’s hand and turning to Logan. ‘Any ideas, Specs?’  
Logan thought for a moment. ‘Just try using your powers. A simple charge.’  
Roman shrugged a shoulder and held up his hand, focussing on the fuzzy feeling inside his chest and jumping slightly when he discovered how easily he generated a charge and how powerful it was too. Everyone leapt backwards and Virgil yelped in surprise as a huge bolt jumped from Roman’s hand and he stumbled back onto the couch.   
‘Woah...’ Roman breathed, looking down at his hand in astonishment as he sat up. ‘That’s new..’  
‘Did you mean to short-circuit the entire city?’ Virgil snapped, pressing a hand to his chest in an attempt to slow his breathing as Logan cleared his throat.   
‘It would appear that Thomas affects Roman in the opposite way that he affects me: he makes Roman stronger without touching him.’   
‘No shit..’ Virgil muttered, earning a slap on the shoulder from Patton.   
‘Would you be willing to try, Virgil?’ Said person’s head snapped up to look at the oldest roommate as he raised an eyebrow. ‘If Thomas affects you in the same was as Roman, you could be able to stop time with other people.’  
Virgil hesitated, quickly looking between the four expectant faces in front of him before he nodded. ‘I’ll do it..’  
Logan walked up to him and spoke quietly, placing his hands on Virgil’s shoulders. ‘Try to stop time with me, okay? Just breathe, take your time and focus.’   
Virgil nodded and closed his eyes, concentrating on not only pulling himself into the world of stopped time, but also pulling Logan into that world too. He felt a slight jolt, and when he opened his eyes everything was tinted blue, and Logan was smiling down at him.   
‘Good job.’ 

‘Did it work?’ Patton asked, looking between Logan and Virgil.   
‘It did.’ Virgil said, sliding down on the couch next to Roman, looking a little dazed.   
‘You okay, Virge?’ Patton leaned over the back of the couch and gently pressed his hand to Virgil’s forehead, which was beaten away.   
‘I’m fine, it just took a bit of energy outta me.’ Virgil shrugged of his hand.   
‘That means you’re last, Patton.’ Thomas was now feeling quite excited as he stuck out his hand to Patton, who caught it with the same enthusiasm. Neither of them was feeling any different for the first few seconds, but Patton suddenly felt the strangest sensation, like something was slowly sucking out part of him, and then his knees buckled beneath him.   
Thomas jerked his hand back in surprise as Patton crumpled, Roman catching him just seconds before he would’ve hit the floor. He backed up against the kitchen table as Roman set Patton down on the couch, his face deathly pale. Roman took his hand, praying that he was alright as Logan came up behind him.   
‘Roman, move.’ Logan ordered, placing a hand on his friend’s shoulder and moving him aside as he felt for a pulse, breathing a soft sigh of relief when he felt a strong steady heartbeat and Patton’s eyes fluttered open.   
‘Oh my god, Pat...’ Roman scrubbed a hand across his face and laughed in relief, one hand still intertwined with Patton’s.   
‘What happened..?’ He mumbled.   
‘I-I don’t know...’ Thomas stammered as Virgil slowly approached him, his hands held up in surrender. ‘I j-just felt weird, s-so I pulled aw-away like Logan said to, b-but it was t-too late..’  
‘Hey, easy buddy.’ Virgil said, keeping his voice low and comforting as he got closer to him. ‘It’s not your fault, kay?’  
‘B-But-‘  
‘It’s alright, Thomas.’ Virgil put his hand on Thomas’s shoulder and rubbed it gently. ‘It’s okay. You didn’t mean to do it, we didn’t know what would happen.’   
‘Pat, oh my gosh, I’m so sorry.’   
‘It’s fine, kiddo...’ Came the weak reply from the father-figure on the couch, who was now swaddled in blankets Logan had thrown on him.   
‘I should go...’ Thomas sighed, brushing off Virgil’s hand and walking over to the door. ‘I’m sorry.’  
‘It’s okay.’ Roman smiled at him and Thomas nodded in response, walking out the door. Virgil closed it behind him then flopped into Logan’s armchair, his eyes on Patton.   
‘What happened?’ Roman asked, looking up at Logan.   
‘I’m assuming Thomas did the same to Patton as he did to me on the first day we met.’   
‘It was like something was sucking out a part of me...’ Patton mumbled, pulling the blankets tighter around his shoulders. Roman still knelt in front of him, watching him like he was going to collapse again and Patton laughed quietly at him, taking his hand.   
‘I’m fine, Ro, really..’   
‘We don’t know that, Pat.’  
‘I’m starting to feel better. Like whatever was missing is growing back.’  
‘Could you try summoning Two?’ Logan asked.   
After a few seconds of strain, Patton fell back against the couch and sighed. ‘Apparently not...’  
‘Wait, so Thomas took out Two?’ Virgil looked slightly panicked as Logan nodded slowly.   
‘It feels like he’s growing back though, like I’m becoming more complete.’   
‘Well, that’s a good sign.’ Roman smiled up at him and squeezed his hand, pushing up off the coffee table and sitting down next to Patton, allowing him to snuggle into his side as the other two took their usual places: Virgil on the arm of the couch and Logan in his armchair.   
‘This helps...’ Patton mumbled sleepily as he leant his head on Roman’s chest and fell into a dreamless sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy November! Hope Halloween treated you well, even if you weren’t able to go out and trick or treat. Have a great day/night, my lovelies!


	14. The hunt begins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The five start the seemingly impossible task of hunting for the creature. Once they find it in the worst possible way, the battle everybody has been preparing for since the beginning starts. 
> 
> Warnings: Pain and potty language.

‘Remind me again why we’re wandering around the city at night, looking for a snake-demon?’ Virgil muttered as him, Logan, Patton, Roman and Thomas turned onto a different street, the only light coming from the occasional street lamp. ‘Let me think...’ He tapped the tip of his chin, feigning thoughtfulness. ‘Oh yeah, because Roman threw it out of the goddamn window.’   
‘Language!’   
‘I was panicking!’   
‘That’s enough, you three.’ Logan said firmly, his eyes looking quite impressive in the semi-darkness as they emitted a faint white glow. ‘Your incessant yelling is making it difficult to focus.’  
‘You got anything?’ Thomas asked.   
‘Nothing.’ Logan said with a sigh, but just as the word left his lips, his head snapped to the left and he stopped dead.   
The others stopped too, poising themselves to run or fight as their eyes followed Logan’s; he was watching a stumbling figure in a nearby alleyway. At first glance, they seemed dazed or drunk but Logan knew it wasn’t, one look inside their head told him that: it was filled with static.   
‘Correction.’ He whispered. ‘I’ve found it.’ He nodded towards the stumbling man and the others tensed, Patton bringing out Two, and slowly advancing into the alleyway and towards the man. As they reached the mouth of the dark, dingy street, the man whirled around, his face blank and expressionless.   
‘I was wondering when I would see you..’ They all jumped at his voice: it was monotone, but with a thousand whispers behind it. Virgil let out a low hiss as the man took another step towards Logan, who was at the front of the group.   
‘We don’t have to fight.’ Logan said, his tone surprisingly calm as a cruel laugh escaped the man opposite them.   
‘Oh, but we do. You see, the thing I desire most is rather difficult to get, and you won’t give it up easily, so I’m afraid that conflict is inevitable.’   
As the last word escaped his mouth, the man picked up a trash can with seemingly impossible ease and threw it at the group. They all quickly moved aside and the can rolled out into the road as Roman turned back to the man and flashed a cocky grin.   
‘Is that all you got?’  
The man flashed the same grin back and stood tall, holding his arms out to the side and tipping his head back, opening his mouth as if he were screaming. A large black mist slowly curled out of his mouth and nose and hovered above the body as it collapsed.   
‘You had to ask, Princey...’ Virgil whispered, fear in his eyes.   
‘Cover your mouth and nose!’ Logan shouted and the others obeyed, slowly backing away as the black smoke started to move towards them. It lunged forward and Two moved back as a reaction but tripped and fell back, winding himself as Roman cried out and the creature lunged again, seeping into Two’s mouth and nose. 

Patton dropped to his knees with a gasp, pain shooting from his heart as Roman rushed to his side, Virgil just behind him. He took in a deep breath and met Roman’s eyes, taking his hand and squeezing it with a determined look across his face despite the obvious amount of pain he was in.   
‘Give it hell...’ Patton mumbled through gritted teeth and Roman nodded and stood, taking position next to Logan as Virgil and Thomas comforted Patton. Electricity jumped in between Roman’s fingertips and Logan’s eyes lit up as Two stood, flexing his fingers with a smile.   
‘Remember boys,’ None of the others would’ve imagined Patton or any of his copies could ever be threatening in any way, but the voice that came from Two’s lips sent shivers down everyone’s spine. ‘Whatever you do to me, Patton can feel.’  
‘Don’t worry, I’ll be fine..’ Patton gasped and Virgil anxiously glanced at Logan: he didn’t know how much more of this Patton could take. Logan turned back to Two and his eyes glowed even brighter as the other smirked, but his smile fell when he felt Logan probing around in his head.   
‘Stop it!’  
‘Not a chance.’ Logan growled, pushing with his mind and forcing the creature out of Two’s mouth and nose as his knees buckled beneath him. Logan had no choice but to steady himself on the alley wall as Two collapsed and the creature let out a low hiss. Roman grunted as he created an electric net and tried to trap the creature, but it slipped in between the gaps and Roman gave up with a growl. Running over to Patton, he grabbed his hand and gently lifted his face to meet his.   
‘I’m okay...I’m okay..’ Patton leant into Roman’s touch, lacing their fingers together.  
‘Roman, I need you over here. Virgil, Thomas get Patton and Two home and do not let them touch. Do you understand me?’  
‘Got it.’ Virgil picked Two up bridal style as Thomas and Roman helped Patton to stand and the latter started down the street. Roman raced over to where Logan was crouching next to the unconscious body, and watched as he laced his fingers over his chest and started compressions.   
‘He doesn’t have a pulse.’ Logan muttered between compressions.   
‘Why did you need me?!’ Roman asked, more than slightly panicked.   
‘Electricity, Roman. You can shock his heart. Charge up until I say so.’  
Roman acted immediately, holding his hands a few inches apart and generating a charge as Logan continued compressions.   
‘Shock him!’ Logan moved away and Roman brought his hands down on the man’s chest, shocking his heart. Roman sat back on his haunches as Logan pressed two fingers to the man’s throat, feeling for a pulse, laughing with relief when he felt a steady beat. He sat back against the alley wall next to Roman, breathing deeply.   
‘Good job, Roman...’  
‘Thanks, you too..’

‘How’s Two?’ Logan asked as him and Roman burst into the apartment. Thomas was sitting at the table, drumming his fingers on the back of the chair; Virgil was sat on the coffee table, biting his thumbnail nervously and watching Two with unerring intensity; Patton was sat on the floor under the window, staring off into space; and Two was curled up on the couch under a fluffy blanket from Virgil’s room, looking exhausted and drained.   
‘Tired.’ Two looked over his shoulder and smiled weakly at Roman as he walked over and took his hand. ‘But I’ll live.’  
‘What do you remember?’ Logan asked.   
‘Static, then waking up here.’   
‘Interesting, all I could hear from the creature was static.’ Logan noted.   
‘What happened with the guy in the alley?’ Patton asked quietly. Two squeezed Roman’s hand and inclined his head towards his host, and Roman stood up and sat down next to him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.   
‘We got his heart restarted and called an ambulance, but left the scene before they arrived.’ Logan sat down next to Virgil and rubbed his temples. ‘He’ll be fine.’  
‘What about that thing?’ Thomas asked. ‘I mean, it escaped and we don’t know where it is.’  
‘I don’t think it’ll wait for us to find it.’ Logan said quietly.   
‘You mean...’ Patton looked up at Logan, eyes wide with fear. ‘It will find us..?’

A beat of silence. 

Logan sighed and nodded slowly. ‘Yes. Tonight or tomorrow, most likely.’   
‘We’re not ready.’ Virgil said quickly. ‘We barely made it out of there, we don’t know how to fight it and we don’t know how to destroy it.’  
The room was silent and Logan unconsciously activated his powers, the thoughts of the other four racing into his head. One thought in particular caught his attention.   
‘That’s not a bad idea, Roman..’ Logan said thoughtfully, titling his head. ‘It could work..’  
‘What was the thought?’ Thomas asked, looking at Roman.   
‘That it’s home was probably so awful that it crawled out to escape.’ Roman shrugged then turned to the youngest roommate. ‘No offence, Virge.’  
‘None taken.’  
‘What does that have to do with fighting it?’ Two raised an eyebrow and took another mouthful of hot sweet tea.   
‘The only way to get rid of it is to put it back where it belongs. If Virgil can stop time and send it back to the same dimension it’s from, we shouldn’t hear from it again.’  
‘Logan Smith, you are a genius!’ Virgil laughed and absentmindedly pressed a kiss to his cheek before turning back to Two and starting to question him on his well-being. Logan sat there, frozen, his mind going a million miles an hour as it tired to comprehend the feeling of Virgil’s soft lips on his cheek. 

‘You can’t sleep either?’ Virgil chuckled as he walked into the kitchen and saw Logan in his armchair with a book open in his lap. He looked genuinely exhausted, even in the partial darkness where the only light source was Logan’s glowing eyes, Virgil could see the dark circles under his eyes and his pale face seemed a bit more pinched than usual.   
‘Somebody needs to be a lookout.’ Logan smiled weakly as Virgil started to make coffee for the pair of them.   
‘Doesn’t have to be you though.’  
‘I’m the only one who can hear it, Virgil, you know that.’ Logan took the warm cup Virgil handed him as the other sat on the arm of the couch, holding the steaming mug close to him to retain warmth in the cold apartment.   
‘I guess...’  
Logan tilted his head at Virgil, looking like he was trying to figure something out. ‘What?’  
‘Something is bothering you.’  
Virgil sighed, knowing that Logan would pick up on when he was lying. ‘I just can’t help thinking this is all my fault..’  
‘How? You weren’t the one to release it, therefore you are not at fault.’  
‘I know, I know...’ Virgil shrugged and sipped his coffee. ‘I should’ve known better though.’  
‘Virgil, look at me.’ Logan waited until the youngest roommate met his eyes, speaking slowly and clearly. ‘You had no idea what that thing was capable of, you didn’t even know it could exist again. It is not your fault so do not for one second think that it is, alright?’   
‘Okay...’ Virgil smiled as Logan stood and took the mug from his hands, walking into the kitchen and putting them in the sink. As he started to make his way back to the couch, he froze and Virgil looked up at him, concern laced into his gaze.   
‘Lo?’  
‘It’s here...’ He said softly. ‘Stop time now.’   
Virgil obeyed, his heart pounding as he pulled Logan into stopped time and the other straightened up, readjusting his tie and his glasses. ‘What do we do?’  
‘Wake Patton and Thomas up, I’ll get Roman.’   
‘Wait, can’t it move in stopped time?’ Virgil asked as he stood in Patton’s doorway; Thomas was sleeping on an inflatable mattress in Patton’s room so that, should they need him in the night, he was close at hand.   
‘Not in a host’s body. You can’t hold all of us in stopped time for very long, so wake them up, tell them they have two minutes to get dressed then change yourself.’   
‘Got it.’ 

‘Everybody ready?’ Logan quickly glanced around at the familiar tired faces before him. Roman yawned and shook his head.   
‘I’m always ready to fight a smoke demon, Specs, you should know that by now.’   
Logan chose to ignore his roommate’s snarky comment as he unlocked the door. ‘Remember: if it gets anywhere near you, cover your nose and mouth immediately. Use your powers when you can.’   
The others nodded and they stepped out into the hallway, their noses being hit with a very strong and distinctive smell they all knew.   
‘Is that what I think it is?’ Thomas asked as they started quickly down the stairs, Roman stopping at the bottom and freezing up as frozen fire came into view. Half of the corridor below theirs was charred and the large orange flames frozen by Virgil stopping time didn’t show any sign of slowing in it’s destruction.   
‘Fire.’ He whispered softly as Patton let out a quiet cry and pressed a hand to his mouth.   
‘Mrs Maisy lives there..’   
‘Patton, we can’t do anything to help her...’ Virgil put a hand on his best friend’s shoulder and squeezed as Patton’s eyes welled up with tears. ‘C’mon, we have to go...’  
Patton sniffed and wiped his eyes, turning to follow the others down the stairwell and out into the street. They made it about three blocks until Virgil had to stop, the strain from running and keeping time stopped becoming too much for him.   
‘I’m sorry, I’m gonna have to restart time..’ Virgil gasped between breaths, closing his eyes and willing the world to start turning again. The others stumbled as the world restarted and Virgil took in a sharp breath as the pressure eased.   
‘I’m sorry..’  
‘It’s okay.’ Logan slipped an arm across Virgil’s back and helped him to stand. ‘Where do we go? It’ll find us eventually.’  
‘The theatre!’ Roman clapped his hands and jumped up and down excitedly.   
‘Really?’ Logan sighed.   
‘Yes! C’mon, it’ll be the perfect set for the ultimate dramatic showdown!’   
‘You’re too dramatic for your own good..’ The oldest roommate tutted, but started to follow Roman and Thomas as they headed down the street and eventually came to the theatre Roman often preformed in. He lead them through the back entrance and climbed up a short flight of stairs which led to the stage.   
Patton brought out Two, who sprinted away through the seats and disappeared through the double doors at the other end, before he turned to Roman, grabbing his arm.   
‘Ro?’  
‘Yes, Pat?’   
Patton looked up at him, a tiny smile on his face. ‘I’m ready...I’m ready now...’  
Roman stared down at him for a second, before he pulled Patton to his chest and kissed the top of his head tenderly, holding him close. ‘So am I..’

Logan smiled at the two at the other end of the stage and turned to Virgil, hesitating for a moment before taking his hand. ‘Virgil, I loved Cammie, but now I’ve found someone else.’ He paused, a smile touching the corners of his lips. ‘You. I will never stop caring about you, never. I don’t care if you don’t feel the same, I just needed you to know.’

Virgil stared at him for a moment, and he opened his mouth to reply just as Two burst through the door, a cry on his lips as the creature followed him in. Patton and Two become one in a flash of light as Logan wrapped himself around Virgil, shielding him. 

Virgil saw where the creature was aiming and stood up on his tiptoes, kissed the underside of Logan’s jaw quickly and shoved him out of the way, the creature hitting him at full force and seeping into his nose and mouth with a strangled cry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you’re all safe and well! That’s all, my lovelies <3


	15. The final showdown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fight for their lives begins.

Logan rolled himself over and scrambled to his feet with Roman’s help as Virgil fell to his knees, taking in shuddering breaths as the creature took control of him. The shuddering stopped and Virgil looked up, surveying the scene before him, his dark eyes now pigmented with gold flecks in them, and he stood up and smiled, a cruel menacing smile.   
‘Well, well, well, what a welcome party we have here...’ Virgil crossed his arms over his chest and titled his head. ‘It’s rather nice, really..’  
‘Get out of him...’ Logan snarled, squaring his shoulders and activating his powers, trying to force the creature out of Virgil’s body, but finding he couldn’t.   
‘Hmm, let me think...’ Virgil tapped his chin thoughtfully. ‘Nope, I’m quite comfy in here actually.’  
‘So this is what you do?’ Roman’s hands curled into fists. ‘Use someone else’s body as a shield because you’re too much of a coward to face up to us in person?’   
Virgil let out a laugh, throwing his head back; ordinarily, Logan would’ve found that rare bit of hearty laughter from Virgil adorable, but instead it sent shivers down his spine. ‘You, of all people, do not get to call me a coward. You’re an insecure mess and can’t even admit it to yourself.’   
Virgil turned to look at Patton, sneering at him. ‘You’re too weak to be of any help in whatever situation,’ He faced Thomas. ‘I don’t even know why you’re here, to be honest, and you,’ He spun to face Logan. ‘You promised yourself you wouldn’t get too emotionally attached, and yet you find yourself strung up on a guy who could never like you back.’   
‘What do you want?’ Roman ignored the comments, forcibly reminding himself that it wasn’t Virgil talking, it was the creature.   
‘Power.’ Virgil shifted his weight over to one hip and started fiddling with the string of his hoodie as he talked. ‘Normally, I’d be happy to stay in this body; I mean, the ability to stop and start the world? Imagine the possibilities of that!’ He paused, crossing his legs. ‘But of course, it could never be that simple, could it? You see, when I inhabit a body, not only do I take their abilities, but some of their personality traits too.’ He gestured to himself. ‘Virgil here doesn’t like his powers, so as much as I don’t want to, I have a slight distaste towards them too.’  
‘What if you could have power and a drive to know more?’ Logan spoke quietly but his words were crystal-clear nonetheless.   
‘What’re you suggesting?’   
‘Take my body, let Virgil live and leave the city.’   
‘Logan, no!’ Patton reached for him, but Logan shot a look at him over his shoulder and he quietened immediately.   
‘Let Virgil live and I will give myself up willingly.’ Logan swallowed. ‘I will do anything..’  
Virgil considered it for a moment, a smile growing on his lips before he held his hand out to Logan. ‘You have yourself a deal, Logie.’  
The nickname that only Virgil used for Logan felt like a stab through the heart as he reached out and shook his hand, trying to block out Patton’s sob as he dropped Virgil’s hand and watched as he stepped back and opened his mouth in a silent scream. Black mist curled out of his mouth and nose and Logan closed his eyes, all of his thoughts on the boy he was giving his life for as he felt something, someone knock into his left shoulder, sending him toppling to the ground as Thomas stood where Logan had been just seconds ago, letting the creature seep into his mouth and nose. 

Roman sent two bolts of electricity from his hands at Thomas, sending him flying into a wall as Logan and Patton raced over to Virgil. Seeing that Thomas probably wasn’t going anywhere for a minute or two, Roman crouched down next to Virgil’s unconscious body, meeting Patton’s eyes as Logan desperately felt for a pulse, to no avail. His friend was about to start compressions when Roman caught Logan’s hand and met his eyes over their friend’s body.   
‘Give it hell, I’ll get his heart restarted.’   
Logan held his gaze for another second, after a curt nod from his friend, stood and activated his powers, letting all the anger for this creature for killing Virgil loose. He raised his hands and ripped up the floorboards of the stage, rounding on Thomas with murder in his eye. The other laughed drunkly from where he was in the rubble.   
‘What’re you gonna do, Logan?’  
‘Whatever I must.’ He growled and sent the planks flying towards Thomas, pinning him to the wall. The anger he felt somehow made his powers stronger: pushing the creature out of Two’s mind had been a challenge, however it was as easy as breathing now as he forced the creature from Thomas. Directing all his energy on keeping the thing contained, he barely noticed Roman by his side, holding a large cardboard box in his hands.   
‘Logan, get it in the box.’   
‘What? Is Virgil okay?’  
‘In the box now, questions later.’   
‘I hope you’re going somewhere with this...’ Logan muttered, tossing the contained smoke into the box. Roman spun around, kneeling down and holding the box in front of him.   
‘Ready, Virge?’   
He pushed the box over to where Virgil and Patton were and Virgil caught it, freezing time and throwing the box into his portal before he restarted time and collapsed, thankfully still breathing. Logan’s eyes were still glowing as he walked over to Thomas and pulled a plank off of him, smiling when he saw that Thomas was relatively unharmed.   
‘Apologies.’  
‘You did what you had to..’ Thomas winced as he took Logan’s hand and pulled himself up, testing his weight on his right foot and raising an eyebrow as it held. ‘I’m good.’  
‘You don’t want me to have a look at anything?’  
‘You’re more worried about Virgil, I can tell. I’m fine, Logan, go check him out.’   
Logan walked over and crouched by Virgil’s unconscious body, quickly checking his pulse and his breathing, finding both to be strong and stable. Logan laughed with relief as Patton leant his head into the crook of Roman’s neck and Thomas put his hand on Logan’s shoulder. 

He would be okay. 

Virgil would be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed, my lovelies! As you can see, this is the penultimate chapter, but I have some good news: since this has gotten so much positive attention, I’ve decided to take a short break and then start a second series to this. Thank you all so much for sticking with me whilst I write this, I can’t express enough how much it means to me. With that said, have a good day/night, my lovelies. <3


	16. The aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally safe from the creature, the five gather at Thomas’s house to patch themselves together. 
> 
> Warning: Potty language.

Virgil slowly opened his eyes, his head throbbing as he took in the unfamiliar surroundings about him: there was a dark brown dresser off to the side of the black and grey chequer bed he was laying in and the shutters on the window to his right were open, allowing sunshine through in thin beams. At the end of his bed was what he recognised to be his black duffel bag from the old apartment, and there was an inflatable mattress just under the windowsill with a dark blue rucksack by it. 

The door opened slowly and he felt a smile creep onto his lips as Patton entered the room, his face lighting up when he saw Virgil awake.  
‘Heya, kiddo!’ Patton sat down beside the low double bed and took Virgil’s hand. ‘How’re you feeling?’  
‘Like a truck hit my head, but other than that fine.’ Virgil scooted backwards and rested his back against the wall, pulling his knees to his chest and resting his chin on top. ‘Is everybody else okay? What happened?’  
‘How much do you remember?’  
‘I remember...’ Virgil’s voice trailed off as he recalled as much as he could about that night. ‘I let the creature get me, didn’t I?’  
‘Yeah, you did.’ 

Patton recounted what had happened on the stage, pausing whenever Virgil had any questions or when he started to look a little overwhelmed. When he was done, they both sat there in silence and Patton knew Virgil was trying to process everything, so he gave him his space.  
After about two minutes of silence, Virgil spoke up. ‘Logan...offered his life for mine?’  
‘He did. He really cares about you, Virge, and I think you do too.’ Patton rubbed a thumb over Virgil’s knuckles and smiled up at him. ‘Just tell him how you feel, okay? And if you let him down, let him down gently.’  
Virgil nodded, a sigh escaping his lips. ‘How long have I been out?’  
‘About twelve hours. Logan barely left your side through that whole time, except when he’s talking to the insurance company.’  
‘Oh, right, the fire.’ Virgil had only just remembered what happened to their previous home. ‘What happened?’  
‘The apartment block has to be rebuilt, the fire destroyed a lot of the first few levels. One hundred and three people died, just so this creature could smoke us out...’ Patton sighed, but his face perked up again after a moment.  
‘Well, I’ll leave you to get dressed. Come down when you’re ready, kiddo, we’re getting pizza.’ Patton stood and headed out the door, flashing one last smile to Virgil before softly closing the door behind him. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

‘How’s he doing?’ Thomas asked as Patton descended the stairs and flopped onto the couch next to Roman with a smile.  
‘He’s awake and up-to-date with everything that happened.’ He reported, leaning into Roman’s touch as the other started to gently play with his hair. ‘I left him to precess everything, he looked a little shell-shocked.’  
‘I would be too...’ Thomas sighed and ran a hand through his hair. ‘You guys lost your home and we were almost killed by a smoke demon, if that’s not a lot to process, I don’t know what is...’  
‘Is Calculator-watch still on the phone?’ Roman asked and Thomas nodded as they heard a door open upstairs and Virgil start to come downstairs. 

When he reached the bottom, Roman stood and stared at him for a moment, before doing something he never had before: he walked forward and pulled the emo in for a tight embrace; Virgil let out a quiet squeak but eventually wrapped his arms around Roman and returned his hug. They pulled apart and Roman smiled down at him.  
‘Glad you didn’t die, Jack Smellington.’  
‘Back at ya, Romano.’  
Roman sat back down and Virgil gave Thomas a brief hug, doing his best to keep disappointment off his face when he couldn’t see Logan anywhere.  
‘He’s outside on the phone with the insurance company.’ Patton laughed and Virgil relaxed. He didn’t quite know what he was going to say to Logan, but he didn’t have long to figure it out, because almost as soon as he sat down next to Roman, the front door opened and the one in question stepped in, slipping his phone into his back pocket as he walked. 

Logan froze when he saw Virgil, their eyes meeting across the room as he felt his heart rate increase, like it always did when Virgil looked at him. Their eye contact never broke as Virgil slowly stood and made his way over to Logan, stopping just in front of him and crossing his arms across his chest.  
‘Virgil, I-‘  
‘Shut up.’ Virgil shook his head, eyes filling with tears which were quickly wiped away as he looked back up at Logan. ‘Shut up..’  
‘Okay..’ Logan looked down at the ground, then tensed as he felt Virgil’s cool hands on either side of his face, gently forcing him to look into those gorgeous dark brown eyes of his. 

Then the most extraordinary thing happened: Virgil stood up on the very tips of his toes and kissed him full on the lips, his arms wrapping around Logan’s neck as the other seemed to come to his senses and kissed back, winding his arms around Virgil’s waist. 

‘About fucking time..’ Roman mumbled, smirking at his friends and then turning back to Patton, kissing his forehead.  
‘Don’t kiss me with that filthy mouth, Roman!’ Patton giggled.  
‘You love it.’  
‘It’s a good thing I do!’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Penultimate chapter!!


	17. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The four make plans on where they’ll stay whilst they wait for the insurance money, and say goodbye to each other.

It took a few days to arrange accommodation for the four of them and for the insurance company to give them a date for when they would get the money: three months. This meant that they would all have to stay with their parents until they received payment and could start looking for another apartment. 

Roman had been concerned about Patton returning home for three months: three months of no emotional support and repressing his powers, both of which weren’t idealistic for him, but Patton had soothed his worries fairly quickly, promising that if things got too much he would come and stay with Roman’s family for a few days to clear his head. 

Virgil was the first to leave on that Tuesday morning, hugging Patton, Roman and Thomas goodbye before pulling Logan aside for a goodbye kiss. Logan had watched the car drive off with a sad smile, realising that this was the first time in ten months they would be apart. It felt strange, like leaving a part of himself behind. Patton was the next to leave, followed by Roman, then it was just Logan and Thomas.

Logan had packed up his belongings, which all fit into just one backpack slung over his shoulder and was standing at Thomas’s front door, saying his goodbyes.   
‘It’s gonna be weird not having you all about.’ Thomas smiled and scratched the back of his neck. ‘Quiet.’  
‘I agree. Nothing will ever feel more at home then when I’m with them.’ He paused, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. ‘They’re my family.’   
‘Take care, big guy.’ Thomas automatically held out his hand to Logan, both of them starting to laugh when their eyes met. Logan pulled down the sleeve of his sweater to cover his hand and tentatively took Thomas’s, shaking it quickly.   
‘You too.’ 

Thomas watched him go, stepping onto the bus that had just pulled up and settling into a seat, pulling out a hardcover book from the backpack on the seat next to him. The bus pulled away and Thomas closed the door with a sigh, already feeling the absence of the four who had lived there for the past few days. 

Logan was right: they were like a family. 

A slightly chaotic, banter-filled, power-fuelled family. 

And Thomas got the feeling that whenever they were reunited, all hell would break loose once more, but the universe would finally be right once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The final chapter! Thank you so much for everything, I’ll see you in the New Year. 
> 
> Love y’all!

**Author's Note:**

> Please check out ResidentAnchor, they were the inspiration for this story and deserve all the credit.


End file.
